Correct Bits that Do Not Fit: Elizabeth A. Clark on the ECtHR Grand Chamber’s Unsettling Judgement in Lautsi v. Italy

In Lautsi v. Italy (2011), the European Court of Human Rights considered whether a crucifix displayed in an Italian public-school classroom violated a non-Catholic student’s right to religious freedom. While a chamber of the Court decided in favor of the student, the Grand Chamber later sided with the Italian government and found the crucifix to be a passive symbol that did not infringe the student’s and his parents’ rights. Elizabeth A. Clark explains how her experience as a member of a religious minority group complicates her views of the Grand Chamber’s Lautsi judgment.

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Mahmoud v. Taylor: Even When the Current Supreme Court Gets It Right the Supermajority’s Bias Is on Display

Frank S. Ravitch is Professor of Law and Walter H. Stowers Chair in Law and Religion at the Michigan State University College of Law.

On 27 June 2025, the United States Supreme Court decided Mahmoud v. Taylor.[1] The case focused on the Montgomery County (Maryland) School Board’s integration of books featuring LGBTQ characters into the elementary-school English curriculum. The board had long integrated books with characters from a variety of backgrounds, including different religious and cultural backgrounds, into its curriculum. The goal of including books with LGBTQ characters was to be inclusive because the district is one of the most culturally, socially, racially, and religiously diverse districts in the United States.

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Continue ReadingMahmoud v. Taylor: Even When the Current Supreme Court Gets It Right the Supermajority’s Bias Is on Display