Vowing at one time to defend Proposition 8, California Attorney General Jerry Brown has now altered his decision and asked the state Supreme Court to strike down the same-sex marriage ban saying that Prop. 8 violates constitutionally protected liberties. 

A federal judge in Columbia, South Carolina, has temporarily stopped the state from making and issuing license plates featuring a stained glass emblem with a cross on it and the words “I Believe.”   

Granting a request from a group that had argued the plates showed an unconstitutional preference toward Christianity, U.S. District Judge Currie ordered the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to stop taking any more orders for the plates until the court reaches a final decision.  Although over 400 plates are in production, none have been shipped. 

eHarmony, an online dating service that conducts extensive personality profiling before introducing men and women with matching values and interests, has reached a settlement with the New Jersey Attorney General requiring the privately owned online matchmaker to cater to homosexuals. 

Planned Parenthood, the largest provider of abortions in the United States, is under scrutiny for handing out gift certificates for its services.   

A Miami-Dade judge has declared that Florida’s 30 year ban on gay adoption is unconstitutional and has permitted a gay man, represented by the ACLU, to adopt two foster children who have been living him since 2004.   

In a 53-page order that sets the stage for what could potentially become a constitutional showdown, the court’s decision came after a four day trial where Judge Lederman heard from experts on children’s health and development and listened to the justifications for the ban offered by the state.  

Pleasant Grove could be forced to remove existing monuments, including one of the Ten Commandments, from its parks, or, be forced to accept all donated monuments depending on the outcome of a Utah free-speech case heard on November 12, 2008, by the US Supreme Court.

Justices wrestled with several First Amendment issues in the lawsuit over Pleasant Grove’s decision to reject a monument from Summum, a Salt Lake City based religious group that follows tenets of Gnostic Christianity and ancient Egyptian teachings, including mummification.

Protestors continue to march outside churches from Sacramento to San Diego as gay activists take to the streets in opposition to the passage of Prop 8, the ballot initiative that preserves traditional marriage as only between a man and a woman and was approved by 52% of California voters.  Prop 8 represents the second time California voters have taken decisive action to protect traditional marriage. 

Justice Clarence Thomas was confirmed by the United States Senate as a Supreme Court Justice 17 years ago, and he recently gave a speech in New York addressing the current condition of American culture and constitutional interpretation. In fact, both Justice Thomas and Barack Obama recently expressed their views on interpreting the constitution and the role of judges.

The latest rash of judicial activism reached Connecticut.  The Connecticut Supreme Court became the third state supreme court, joining California and Massachusetts, to discover a right to same-sex marriage in their state constitution.

Recently, the First Amendment Center released its State of the First Amendment 2008 national survey.  The results show both a need to protect our constitutional rights as Christians in today’s culture and to educate people about our Nation, its foundation, and the importance of our First Amendment rights for every single American regardless of their beliefs.