According to a report yesterday from UPI, Maricopa County, Arizona, Sheriff Joe Arpaio will once again this year have Christmas and holiday tunes played all day long at all of the county's jails. Six lawsuits have been filed by prisoners who object to the music, alleging forced religious participation and cruel and unusual punishment. Four of the six cases have already been dismissed. The sheriff says he expects the other two to also be dismissed, though at least one survived a motion to dismiss ...

Even though the 9th Circuit has stuck down as unconstitutional Arizona's program that grants tax credits to fund private-- mostly religious-- school scholarships (see prior posting), the state's attorney general and legislature are moving ahead on several fronts as if the program is still operational. The Arizona Republic reported yesterday that the attorney general is considering suing some of the non-profit School Tuition Organizations because they have not distributed ...

... . 20, 2009), the full U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals refused to grant en banc review in a case challenging Arizona's program of tax credits to provide scholarships, mostly for students in religious schools. In the case, a 3-judge ... the circuit between government and religion. AP reports on the decision. [Thanks to Bob Ritter for the lead.] UPDATE: The Institute for Justice Arizona Chapter which supports the tax credits and represents several clients in the case says it will seek Supreme Court ...

The Yuma (AZ) Sun reported yesterday that the EEOC has filed suit against the operator of the Oak Tree Inn in Yuma, Arizona charging religious discrimination. The lawsuit claims that employees were threatened with reprisals if they did not engage in a particular prayer ceremony reflecting the beliefs of their supervisor.

In State of Arizona v. Hardesty, (AZ Sup. Ct. Sept. 8, 2009), the Arizona Supreme Court rejected an atempt by a member of the Church of Cognizance to raise a defense under Arizona's Free Exercise of Religion Act to prosecution for possession of marijuana. Marijuana is a sacrament of the church, and defendant claimed an unlimited religious right to use it anywhere in any quantity. The court held that the state's total ban on marijuana is the least restrictive means to carry out its compelling ...

The Utah and Arizona Attorneys General have released a revised edition of The Primer, a guide designed to assist law enforcement and human services agencies that provide assistance to fundamentalist Mormon families. It provides ... violence or abuse than others. The Primer also describes the Safety Net Committee that was formed in 2003 by Utah and Arizona to bring together government agencies and nonprofits that are working to give people from polygamous communities equal access to justice, safety ...

On July 10, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed HB 2357, the Students' Religious Liberties Act. It bars public schools from discriminating against parents or students on the basis of religious viewpoints or expression, including religious viewpoints included in class assignments, artwork or coursework. It provides that students may pray or engage in religious activities or expression before, during and after the school day in the same manner that students are allowed to engage in nonreligious ...