Tennessee governor’s Order of Protection proposal

In the wake of the recent shooting at Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, Gov. Bill Lee has called on Tennessee lawmakers to introduce an Order of Protection law aimed at preventing firearms from being bought or possessed by people who may be a danger to society or themselves.

Gov. Lee’s proposal is fundamentally about providing law enforcement officers with the tools necessary to protect citizens, while upholding the rights of Tennesseans to exercise their constitutional rights.

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The ERLC, in cooperation with the Unify Project, is hosting an event on racial unity called Simple Steps to Unity: Walking Together Toward a Better Future on Monday, June 12 at 9pm CT.

Register here to reserve your free ticket!

This Week in Washington, D.C.

This week, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Groff v. Dejoy, a case dealing with religious accommodations in the workplace. This case, which centers around a Christian postal worker who wishes to observe the Sabbath, puts before the court a question of what burden employers must meet before denying religious accommodations to their employees.

This case has significant implications for the religious liberty of Southern Baptists and people of all faiths. The ERLC filed an amicus brief in the case urging the court to raise the burden currently placed on employers to allow for greater religious accommodations in the workplace. A decision in this case is expected in June.

You can read more about this case and the ERLC’s response here.

Featured Podcasts

On this episode, Lindsay Nicolet talks with Hannah Daniel about the Tennessee governor’s Order of Protection proposal. They also discuss several important Supreme Court developments including the religious postal worker case and the abortion pill

From The Public Square

Abortion pill manufacturer to pay $765K to U.S. to settle suit over incorrect labeling
Politico

Just days before the Biden administration asked the Supreme Court to preserve access to a key abortion medication, the Justice Department issued a routine, but little-noticed announcement that the manufacturer of the drug — Danco Laboratories — had settled claims it violated customs laws. Further, the federal government will award a bounty-like payment of about $116,000 to the anti-abortion legal entity that blew the whistle on the alleged violations.

Legal abortions dropped by 32,000 after Roe v. Wade was overturned
The Week

Recent analysis shows that in the six months following the Supreme Court ruling to end the federal right to an abortion, the number of legal abortions was 32,000 lower than expected in the United States, CNN reports.

DeSantis signs Florida's 6-week abortion ban into law
Axios

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed legislation on a six-week abortion ban into law on Thursday night, becoming the latest Southern state looking to bar access after the bill passed in the state legislature earlier in the day.

Colorado offers safe haven for abortion, transgender care
Associated Press

A trio of health care bills enshrining access in Colorado to abortion and gender-affirming procedures and medications became law Friday as the Democrat-led state tries to make itself a safe haven for its neighbors, whose Republican leaders are restricting care.

What You Need to Read

Hannah Daniel with Supreme Court hears arguments in religious postal worker case

This week, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments for Groff v. DeJoy, a case concerning religious liberty in the workplace. The ERLC is involved in this case because, as Southern Baptists, we believe that our vocation cannot be separated from our faith.

ERLC Staff with What you should know about oral arguments in the religious postal worker case

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments on April 18 in Groff v. Dejoy, and we now anticipate a ruling sometime before the end of June 2023. Here is what you should know about the arguments made in that case.

As the Supreme Court website notes, “The arguments are an opportunity for the Justices to ask questions directly of the attorneys representing the parties to the case, and for the attorneys to highlight arguments that they view as particularly important.”

ERLC Policy Staff with A 2023 state policy review

Though we typically think of Washington, D.C., as the primary location for policy change, the realities of a polarized nation and nearly evenly divided federal legislature make it difficult for substantial decisions to be made at a national level.

As a result, state legislatures are in a position to make more consequential decisions in the policy areas that Southern Baptists care about and have addressed.