The U.S. Supreme Court Tuesday handed religious liberty advocates a victory Monday when it vacated a lower court’s opinion that had ordered a Christian baker to design a cake for a same-sex wedding.

At issue was a ruling by the Oregon Court of Appeals that upheld a state decision forcing Aaron and Melissa Klein to pay a $135,000 penalty after they refused to design a cake celebrating a wedding for a lesbian couple. The Kleins eventually closed their business, known as “Sweet Cakes by Melissa.”

The U.S. Supreme Court Tuesday issued a one-paragraph order vacating the judgment and sending it back down to the Oregon Court of Appeals.

“The petition for a writ of certiorari is granted. The judgment is vacated, and the case is remanded to the Court of Appeals of Oregon for further consideration in light of Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Comm’n,” the unsigned order read. 

Masterpiece was a 2018 ruling in which the Supreme Court sided with a Colorado baker who refused to design a wedding cake for a gay couple. Former Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy ruled the Colorado Civil Rights Commission demonstrated hostility toward religion when it ordered bakery owner Jack Phillips to design the cake. 

The Kleins are represented by First Liberty Institute.

“This is a victory for Aaron and Melissa Klein and for religious…

Over the weekend, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a new settlement in Golan Heights named after President Donald Trump, unveiling a large sign that featured both the Israeli and American flags.

“We are proud that we have the opportunity to establish a new settlement and to give thanks to a great friend,” Netanyahu said, according to CNN, during a celebratory cabinet meeting at the new site. “We will continue to grow and develop the Golan for all of our citizens — Jews and non-Jews together.”

The settlement was named after Trump, who defied international opinion in supporting Israel’s sovereignty in the Golan Heights. No building plans have yet been made, but the settlement will be built near Kela in the northern Golan Heights.

The Golan Heights is a piece of land seized by Israel from Syria during the Six-Day War in 1967. The UN Security Council has claimed that Israel’s authority in that territory is “null and void and without legal effect.” No other country in the world, besides the U.S., has acknowledged Israel’s authority in the region.

“This is a historic day,” Netanyahu said, calling Trump a “friend of Israel,” according to the BBC.

US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman was in the audience at the unveiling.

“I want to thank you for holding the cabinet meeting and for the extraordinary gesture that…

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (RNS) — At their annual meeting, Southern Baptists re-elected their president, adopted statements on their views about major cultural issues, and discussed how to deal with sexual abuse and racial discrimination in the church.

They also brought to center stage questions about church leadership roles that are appropriate for women in the church.

North Carolina pastor J.D. Greear, who was elected Tuesday (June 11) to a second one-year term as president, had emphasized a “Gospel Above All” theme for the meeting. He said that message was linked to multicultural worship music throughout the meeting and the inclusive approach Baptists took in appointing leaders to the convention’s various committees.

“We’re not where we need to be on those things, but I believe a signal has been sent that we believe that’s where we need to go,” he said at a news conference at the conclusion of the meeting on Wednesday.

“Now it’s on us to take the right steps at the right time and to move in a way that shows that it’s not words or virtue signaling but it’s something that we mean because we believe the Bible teaches it.”

Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President R. Albert Mohler Jr. said that in the past, issues of diversity were usually discussed mostly in hallways among small groups of church delegates, known as messengers. At…

Vermont will begin covering gender-reassignment surgery for children who are on Medicaid under a new rule proposed by the state’s Department of Health Access last month.

The proposal would change the current rule that bans those under 21 from receiving taxpayer funds for sex-change surgery. 

The proposed rule requires the approval of a child’s parents for those under 18, although it also includes a judicial bypass that could allow a minor to obtain gender-reassignment surgery over the objections of parents.  

About half of all children in Vermont receive insurance through Medicaid, the Burlington Free Press reported.

“For minors under 18 years of age, documented informed consent of a parent(s), legal custodian, or guardian is also required unless the minor is emancipated by court order,” the proposal says.

Sixteen types of genital surgery would be covered, alongside breast augmentation and mastectomies. 

In addition to permission from parents or a judge, children must meet several other requirements, including: 

— “Two written clinical evaluations,” the first of which should be “from the individual’s treating qualified mental health professional.”

— “Completion of at least 12 months of living in a gender role that is congruent with their gender identity, across a range of life experiences and events that may occur throughout the…