S5, Ep. 30: Season finale

Respecting Religion

As the weather heats up, so does the pace of Supreme Court decisions. On our season 5 finale of Respecting Religion, Amanda and Holly recap some recent decisions and discuss what we can expect in the next month. Religion is still at play in several cases, even if religious legal statutes aren’t the questions being considered. Plus, they look at some recent statements from Supreme Court justices during extracurricular activities and share what those reveal about the justices themselves and the work at the Court, including a rare – and surprising – statement one justice gave directly to the media.

SHOW NOTES Segment 1 (starting at 00:51): Recent Supreme Court actions

Amanda and Holly discussed the two Supreme Court cases dealing with abortion rights in episode 28 of this season: Conscience protections in SCOTUS abortion cases

Click here to read the Washington Post article tracking big cases this Supreme Court term.

The case upholding the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is called Consumer Financial Protection Bureau v. Community Financial Services Association of America, Limited. Amanda and Holly mentioned two articles about it:

• Amy Howe’s piece for SCOTUSblog: Supreme Court lets CFPB funding stand
• Steve Vladeck’s piece for One First: How to describe *this* Court

The Louisiana voting map decision comes from the consolidated cases of Robinson v. Callais and Landry v. Callais.

• Read Amy Howe’s coverage for SCOTUSblog: Court allows Louisiana to move forward with two majority-Black districts
• Read Steve Vladeck’s piece for One First: Louisiana’s Congressional Map Comes Back to the Court

Segment 2 (starting at 09:07): Justices on the stump: Shocking statements and unlikely pairings

Amanda and Holly mentioned recent reporting on appearances by justices of the Supreme Court. The articles they referred to are:

• Justice Kavanaugh on the Presidency, the Court and Taylor Swift by Adam Liptak for The New York Times
• Justice Thomas Denounces ‘the Nastiness and the Lies’ Faced by His Family by Abbie VanSickle for The New York Times
• Justice Alito Warns of Threats to Freedom of Speech and Religion by Adam Liptak for The New York Times
• The Supreme Court seems bitterly divided. Two justices say otherwise. by Ann E. Marimow for The Washington Post

According to reports discussed in this show, Justice Kavanaugh mentioned that the school prayer cases are settled law. School District of Abington Township v. Schempp (1963) and Engel v. Vitale (1962) are commonly called the “school prayer cases,” with the decisions in those cases finding government-sponsored religious exercises unconstitutional in public schools, providing protection for the religious liberty rights of all students. Learn more in this 2013 piece by Holly Hollman.

Amanda and Holly discussed this New York Times story by Jodi Kantor that the American flag outside of Justice Samuel Alito’s home was flown upside down in the days before the inauguration of President Joe Biden. After we recorded this episode, new reporting revealed Justice Alito’s summer house displayed the “Appeal to Heaven” flag in 2023. Read more in this New York Times story by Jodi Kantor, Aric Toler, and Julie Tate: Another Provocative Flag Was Flown at Another Alito Home

To watch the iCivics event featuring Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Justice Amy Coney Barrett, visit this C-SPAN link.

Segment 3 (starting 26:58): A reading recommendation

Amanda’s book is called How to End Christian Nationalism, and it will be released October 22 from Broadleaf Books. Click here for links to pre-order the book.

Learn more about the work of the Christians Against Christian Nationalism campaign by visiting the website.

Respecting Religion is made possible by BJC’s generous donors. You can support these conversations with a gift to BJC.