Idaho “Nondiscrimination” Ordinance Could Land Couple in Jail

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We have written before about the unintended consequences of so-called “nondiscrimination” ordinances like the one recently passed in Fayetteville. These types of city ordinances actually make it a crime to discriminate on the basis of sexual-orientation and gender-identity–meaning violators can be hit with jail time instead of simply a lawsuit. However, the ordinances are written so broadly that relatively benign actions qualify as “discrimination” under the law.

Case in point, a husband and wife in Idaho now face the prospect of expensive fines and jail time simply for declining to officiate a same-sex wedding.

According to the Daily Signal, (more…)

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Houston to Pastors: Hand Over Your “Speeches,” not “Sermons”

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After initially defending the bizarre subpoena demanding Houston pastors hand over all sermons and pastoral communication related to homosexuality, gender-identity, Houston’s mayor, and Houston’s “nondiscrimination” ordinance, city officials admitted their requests were overly-broad and needed to be narrowed.

Last Friday, Houston officials amended their request: They no longer want pastors’ sermons. Now they just want pastors’ “speeches.”

As Todd Starnes writes, “I don’t mean to point out the obvious here – but what do those attorneys think a sermon is? It’s a speech.”

To be fair, the amended subpoena filed by the city’s lawyers strikes the request for any and all sermons related to homosexuality, gender-identity, and the city’s mayor. However, the subpoena still demands, “all speeches or presentations” regarding the city ordinance and the effort to repeal the ordinance, and the subpoena still insists ministers turn over 16 other types of documents besides their sermons–including pastoral communications with church members.

And, as we wrote last week, the subpoena is directed at five ministers who are not even part of the lawsuit over the city ordinance.

At this point it seems the City of Houston is simply playing word games. They want to go after some of the pastors who opposed the city’s ordinance, and they’re hijacking the judicial system to do it.

You can read the city’s original subpoena here.

You can read the city’s amendment to the subpoena here.

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Houston Subpoenas Sermons of Pastors Who are Not Suing City

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Yesterday we wrote about troubling developments in Houston, Texas. The city issued subpoenas demanding some local pastors turn over all sermons and pastoral communications dealing with Houston’s controversial “nondiscrimination” ordinance, the city’s mayor, homosexuality, and the effort to repeal the city ordinance.

Some of the news stations who picked up the story reported the pastors served with the subpoena are part of a lawsuit against the city. Unfortunately that is not the case.

The actual lawsuit over the city ordinance lists Jared Woodfill, Steven F. Hotze, F.N. Williams, Sr., and Max Miller as plaintiffs. As near as we can tell, at least two of these plaintiffs (Mr. Miller and Mr. Williams) appear to be pastors. These four are the ones suing the city. However when it issued its subpoena, the city demanded five people who are not part of the lawsuit turn over their sermons and other documents as well: Ms. Magda Hermida and Pastors Hernan Castano, Khan Huynh, Steve Riggle, and David Welch.

Why would the city try to subpoena documents from people who are not suing the city? As far as I can tell, the only connection these five individuals have to the case is they opposed the ordinance at the center of the lawsuit.

(more…)

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