Florida Supreme Court Hears Arguments in Abortion Ballot Fight

At The New Republic, Tori Ottenwrites that during arguments over a ballot initiative to protect abortion rights in the state constitution, Florida Supreme Court justices appeared to disagree with Attorney General Ashley Moody’s argument for striking down the amendment. The court has until April 1 to approve or reject the initiative, which has a strong chance of winning if it makes it on the ballot. PRRI data finds that 64% of Floridians believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases, and, as Baptist News Global recently reported, more Democrats now see abortion as an essential voting issue than Republicans according to our American Values Survey.

The U.S. Supreme Court Justices’ Views on Whether Trump Is Disqualified

At The Guardian, opinion columnist Moira Donegan unpacks the oral arguments in a Supreme Court case to determine if former President Donald Trump is eligible to run for office based on his involvement in the January 6th attack on the Capitol. Justice Samuel Alito argued that states must have Congress’s approval to enforce the 14th Amendment, which sparked debate on state authority over federal elections. PRRI data finds that 47% of Americans said they would vote for Donald Trump when asked about a hypothetical two-way race between President Joe Biden and former President Trump.

Why Young Americans Are Ditching Church, Not Values

For Reckon, Anna Beahm examinesthe reasons why millions of Americans have left organized religion and how they continue to hold onto some spiritual beliefs and practices. Reasons for leaving organized religion include scandals within religious institutions, negative experiences with religious organizations or individuals, and disagreement with religious teachings regarding LGBTQ issues. PRRI data finds that 30% of Americans who left their religion did so because they were turned off by religion’s teachings about LGBTQ people; PRRI’s new Gen Z surveyfinds that among Gen Z adults, 28% are LGBTQ .

Man Who Destroyed Satanic Temple Altar in Iowa Charged Under Hate Crime Law

Phil Helsel at NBC News reports that a former legislative candidate from Mississippi, Michael Cassidy, was charged with a hate crime for vandalizing an altar in Iowa’s Capitol erected by the Satanic Temple. Cassidy stated that he beheaded the statue as an act of “Christian civil disobedience.” Since then, a bill has been proposed in the Iowa state legislature that would ban public displays of Satan worship. A representative from the Satanic Temple of Iowa told NBC: “As Americans we have every right to be here just like anyone else.”