Steve West

Steve is a legal correspondent for WORLD. He is a graduate of World Journalism Institute, Wake Forest University School of Law, and N.C. State University. He worked for 34 years as a federal prosecutor and is now an attorney in private practice. Steve resides with his wife in Raleigh, N.C. Follow him on Twitter @slntplanet.

Associated Press/Photo by Joe Burbank (file)

A religion test for jurors?

Courts | The removal of a jury member for praying could result in a retrial

by Steve West
Posted 9/28/20, 05:23 pm

The defendant in a fraud case said a federal judge in Florida unfairly booted the one juror who thought she was innocent. In April 2017, a jury convicted former U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown, D-Fla., of federal tax and fraud charges. She received a sentence of five years in prison for allegedly spending money donated to her charity on personal expenses.

Not forsaking assembly in D.C.

Religious Liberty | Prominent evangelical church challenges worship restrictions

by Steve West
Posted 9/25/20, 03:30 pm

Capitol Hill Baptist Church, a historic evangelical congregation in Washington, D.C., has met for services in a field outside another church in Northern Virginia since mid-June. Its leaders are willing to require masks and social distancing, but the District of Columbia’s coronavirus restrictions are too tight for the nearly 1,000 regular attendees to worship together, even outdoors. After D.C.

“Letting God fight this battle”

Religious Liberty | One California church moves its worship services outside while others soldier on indoors

by Steve West
Posted 9/22/20, 04:01 pm

After holding indoor services since late August, members of North Valley Baptist Church in Santa Clara, Calif., gathered in the parking lot to worship from their cars the past two Sundays. Pastor Jack Trieber told congregants that after prayer, fasting, and counsel, he decided not to resist the county’s lawsuit over the Bay Area church’s violations of COVID-19 restrictions. The church had racked up fines of more than $100,000 by the time it and Santa Clara County agreed to drop their lawsuits late Friday.

Rainbow ruckus at Kroger

Religious Liberty | A lawsuit over standard-issue aprons raises questions of religious accommodation

Steve West | 9/21/20, 06:03 pm

A nationwide supermarket chain is headed to court after firing two clerks who objected to wearing rainbows, according to a federal complaint filed on Sept. 14.

Serving God and country

Religious Liberty | The Pentagon moves to protect military members’ religious liberty

Steve West | 9/18/20, 02:09 pm

When Lance Cpl. Monifa Sterling posted favorite Bible verses in her workspace at Camp Lejeune Marine Corps base, her boss ordered her to remove them. “I don’t like those,” her supervisor said. “I don’t like their tone.” When Sterling declined, the military court-martialed her.

That was 2013, but her fate might be different today, thanks to the Pentagon’s new policy protecting religious liberty for service members.

Moderating the moderators

Free Speech | Proposed legislation would limit social media platforms’ control over content

Steve West | 9/15/20, 01:13 pm

President Donald Trump last month accused Facebook and Twitter of bias after they removed a video he posted in which he claimed children were “almost immune” to COVID-19. In May, Trump criticized Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey’s handling of riots after George Floyd’s death, tweeting, “When the looting starts, the shooting starts.” Twitter blocked the tweet, citing its rule against inciting violence.

Pressure mounts on California congregation

Religious Liberty | Court bars John MacArthur’s church from indoor worship

Steve West | 9/14/20, 12:39 pm

Los Angeles County won the latest round in its battle with Grace Community Church over coronavirus-related gathering restrictions, but Pastor John MacArthur preached to a packed house on Sunday despite the court ruling against him.

Equal treatment on campus

First Amendment | Federal government buttresses First Amendment rights

Steve West | 9/10/20, 01:05 pm

A new U.S. Department of Education rule offers much-needed protection for religious groups like InterVarsity Christian Fellowship operating on public university campuses.

Healthcare mandate déjà vu

Religious Liberty | Washington state church fights pro-abortion law

Steve West | 9/08/20, 11:47 am

A Seattle-area church filed an appeal on Wednesday in its fight against a state law that requires churches to cover elective abortions in their employee health insurance plans.

Cedar Park Church in Kirkland, Wash., sued the state in March 2019, arguing a 2018 law, which contains no exemption for churches and other religious organizations that oppose abortion, violates its free exercise of religion.

Who controls church property?

Religious Liberty | Lawsuit asks the Supreme Court not to privilege denominations over congregations

Steve West | 9/08/20, 08:44 am

When Northern California’s historic Menlo Church voted to leave the Presbyterian Church (USA) in 2014, then–Senior Pastor John Ortberg agreed to sell his home to help pay nearly $9 million to the denomination so the congregation could keep its property. Otherwise, the church would have had to find a new place to worship.

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