The Napa Legal Podcast

Welcome to the Napa Legal Podcast! In this week's episode, we discuss:0:31 A new requirement in Colorado that effectively shuts down Christian summer camps; 12:54 A new law in Tennessee that protects free speech and religious beliefs in public schools; 21:21 The recent restoration of the Facebook account for a Christian newspaper after they were inexplicably suspended. Tags: Christian summer c...

Welcome to the Napa Legal Podcast! In this special guest episode with Notre Dame Law Professor Nicole Garnett, we discuss the active Supreme Court Case over whether or not a charter school can be explicitly religious. Tags: St. Isidore of Seville v. Drummond, Religious Freedom, Catholic charter school, Establishment Clause, First Amendment, Free Speech, Free Exercise. The Napa Legal Podcast, May 1...

Welcome to the Napa Legal Podcast! In this week's episode, we discuss:1:36 An emergency attempt by the Native American group Apache Stronghold to prevent their site of worship from being handed over to a mining company; 10:30 A new Religious Liberty Commission formed by a Presidential Executive Order; 26:21 An investigation by the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice into a new W...

Welcome to the Napa Legal Podcast! In this special guest episode, Frank DeVito is joined by current Good Counselor Project Fellow Kyle Nazareth. They discuss the ongoing Supreme Court case Medina v. Planned Parenthood which could decide if South Carolina's government is allowed to restrict funding one of the nation's largest abortion providers. Tags: Medicare, Medicaid, Medina v. Kerr, Medina v. P...

Welcome to the Napa Legal Weekly Podcast! In this week's episode, Frank Devito (Counsel and Director of Content) and Mary Margaret Bush (Executive Director) discuss the following religious liberty updates: 0:33 Explaining recent oral arguments at the Supreme Court over a Catholic charter school, with a special focus on what it means to be a state actor as well as the legal implications of the...

Welcome to the Napa Legal Podcast! In this week's episode, we discuss: 1:16 Oral arguments before the US Supreme Court for Mahmoud v. Taylor, a case in which Catholic, Orthodox, and Muslim parents are fighting for the right to opt their children out of LGBTQ related lessons that violate their sincerely held religious beliefs; 13:37 An ongoing district court case where a faith-based nonprofit t...

Welcome to the Napa Legal Podcast! In this special guest episode with attorney and legal scholar Lael Weinberger. We discuss the basics of the Church Autonomy Doctrine and how it can impact the work of faith-based nonprofits today, particularly in the light of several court cases. Tags: Church Autonomy Doctrine, religious liberty, faith-based nonprofits,.The Napa Legal Podcast, April 25, 2025.

Welcome to the Napa Legal Podcast! In this week's episode, we discuss:0:45 A newly introduced federal bill that would let nonprofits and churches speak about ongoing political campaigns; 13:20 Another recently introduced federal law that would protect nonprofits from being subject to extreme government regulation; 19:36 Two new state laws that work to ensure that Christians can open their homes to...

Welcome to the Napa Legal Podcast! In this week's episode, we discuss:0:37 Georgia's newly signed Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which works to prevent government violation of the free exercise of religion; 7:00 The Oklahoma Governor's executive order requiring state agencies to review, suspend, and repeal statues that work against religious liberty; 17:20 The IRS' decision to stop investigati...

Welcome to the Napa Legal Podcast! In this week's episode we discuss: 0:37 The Wisconsin Catholic Charities US Supreme Court case, which just heard oral arguments over whether or not the nonprofit is legally a religious organization; 11:43 A district court's decision in alignment with the Church Autonomy Doctrine over a defamation lawsuit brought against the Russian Orthodox Church Outside...

Welcome to the Napa Legal Podcast! This special episode features guests Brian Hawkins (Senior Director of External Affairs - People United for Privacy) and Tyler Martinez (Senior Attorney - National Taxpayers Union Foundation). In this episode, we discuss the Corporate Transparency Act, its history and related current legislation and lawsuits, as well as how it harms the freedom and work of nonpro...

Welcome to the Napa Legal Podcast! In this week's episode, we discuss:0:34 A legal challenge to an Illinois law that prevents faith-based organizations from hiring employees that align with their religious identity; 12:06 A federal bill introduced in the US House of Representatives that would protect pregnancy resource centers from government interference in their life-affirming care; 22:58 A...

Welcome to the Napa Legal Podcast! In this week's episode, we discuss: 0:28 Letitia James' attempt to prevent pregnancy resource centers from spreading information about a treatment that can reverse the effects of the abortion pill; 13:09 A Missouri man's appeal to the Supreme Court asking for the right to share his faith in a public park after an unfavorable ruling in a lower court; 25:10 Updates...

Welcome to the Napa Legal Podcast! In this week's episode, we discuss:1:20 A lawsuit against a Colorado law that bans conversations in counselling about biological sex and gender from a Christian viewpoint, even when the patient expresses a desire to do so; 10:47 Two states' actions to protect the rights of parents to send their children to the school of their choice; 24:20 America's l...

Welcome to the Napa Legal Podcast! In this week's episode, we discuss:0:34 The passage of a Religious Freedom Restoration Act in Wyoming, which requires any state law or action that could restrict religious liberty to pass a strict scrutiny analysis (the judicial standard for legality).14:18 A legal challenge to a Delaware law requiring pregnancy resource centers to post a lengthy, often false...

Welcome to the Napa Legal Podcast! In this week's episode, we discuss: 0:38 A lawsuit against Liberty University after they fired an employee who acted directly against their statement of doctrine. 18:22 A lawsuit against the US Conference of Catholic Bishops that could let the judiciary govern internal matters of Churches. 27:56 A new study about the effectiveness of giving large unrestricted gif...

Welcome to the Napa Legal Podcast! In this week's episode, we discuss:0:43 A lawsuit over a tech company's policy refusing to give otherwise available discounts to religious organizations.10:15 Stephen Atkerson's recent victory at Georgia State University, where he was previously told by armed police officers that he couldn't discuss Christianity outside of the Free Speech Zones.20...

Welcome to the Napa Legal Podcast! In this episode, we discuss:0:50 State supreme court cases in Wyoming, South Carolina, and Georgia challenging laws that generally ban abortion once a baby's heartbeat can be detected.15:39 Pending bills in Vermont and Oregon that would let nurses and assistants prescribe physician assisted suicide.28:40 A US circuit court case over whether or not a county go...

Welcome to the Napa Legal Podcast! In this episode, we discuss:1:05 The Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports Executive Order with a related pending Senate Bill.10:30 A passionate discussion of the role and history of public schools, as well as how to understand the Establishment Clause in light of a new US Supreme Court Case over the legality of St. Isidore's, a Catholic Charter School in Okl...

In this special guest episode, we discuss how state laws can permit or restrict religious education during the school day with Cody Balch, the Senior Director of Statewide Initiatives at LifeWise academy. LifeWise works with public schools to give students a Bible-based religious ed class during school hours. While a US Supreme Court precedent enables them to carry out their mission, some states p...

In this special episode of the Napa Legal Podcast, we discuss several executive orders that President Trump has signed since coming into office. These include: 1:24 Pro-life orders such as the re-instatement of the Mexico City Policy and the Hyde Amendment 9:30 OMB memo reviewing and pausing federal funding for various programs 15:28 Supporting the role of parents as the primary educators of their...

Welcome to the Napa Legal Podcast! In this episode, we discuss: 0:54 President Trump's pardon for 23 pro-lifers convicted under the FACE Act, plus his policy on its enforcement and an attempt to repeal the controversial law. 9:02 The Becket Fund's Religious Liberty Index, a poll measuring public support of religious freedom. 14:13 A new article in Public Discourse about data privacy laws a...

Welcome to the Napa Legal Podcast! In this episode, we discuss: 0:31 President Trump's new executive order setting the federal government's policy towards biological sex and gender ideology. 8:24 An Ohio state law requiring school boards to permit students to receive a religious education during the school day. 16:10 A legal challenge to Arlington, Texas' ban on donation bins. The Napa...

Welcome to the Napa Legal Podcast! In this episode, we discuss: (3:35) The recent bill from the US House of Representatives banning men from women's sports in programs with federal funding. (12:52) A legal challenge to New York's state law against employer's religious freedom. (18:46) Montana's Attorney General's attempt to protect parent's rights in their children's de...

Welcome to the Napa Legal Podcast! Listen to Executive Director and Vice President Mary Margaret Bush and Counsel Frank DeVito discuss the first principles of religious freedom in the inaugural episode posted on January 20, 2025.