The waning days of 2009 saw the possible loosening of Utah liquor laws as a national story. Meanwhile, in a development covered by Mormon Matters, …
Remembering the Howard Hughes “Mormon Will”
Back in 1976, it looked like the LDS Church was going to enjoy a $156 million windfall. The reason? It was the death of billionaire …
The Church’s Litigators
Remember Kenneth Starr? He was the former judge-turned-special-prosecutor who tried to drive Bill Clinton out of office with tawdry tales involving the President’s dalliance with …
1968-1970: The Civil Rights Movement Comes to BYU
The 1960s was a time of turmoil in the United States. This turmoil extended to American college campuses. It focused on the Free Speech Movement …
Can Mormons Be Fair Judges and Jurors?
The task was simple. Get a list of the area’s religions and invite them to a Cobb County Planning Commission meeting. The clerk went to …
Mormons, Free Exercise, and Unrighteous Litigation
John Boyle was offended that his country club scheduled golf tournaments on Sunday. He was a Mormon who kept the Sabbath day holy. So he …
Mormons and Intellectual Property
One might think that property, a uniquely secular notion, has no truck with ecclesiastic authorities. After all, there’s supposedly no property in Heaven. Instead, everything …
Family Court, Mormon Style
In Maine, Judge Clapp was not pleased. The sarcastic comment he made at an October 6, 1998 custody hearing would get him in trouble. He …
The Church and the IRS
Thomas Vaughn Barlow really does not like the IRS. On June 8, 2007, he sent it a letter, which stated: This means that if you …
The Growing Mormon Sex Abuse Scandal
The chagrin would be immediate from reading these words in a law book: For five years, in defendant’s capacity as a schoolteacher, neighbor, and secretary …
Bringing Out The Delusional
As I am hardly the model of mental health myself, I am generally loathe to describe others as crazy. However, one cannot read all of …
What Mormon Prisoners Want
In an earlier mormonmatters post (here), I examined the rise of Mormons as criminal defendants in court opinions. Not surprisingly, most LDS criminals do not …
The Surprising Truth About Mormon Employment Discrimination
Religious discrimination in the workplace is barred in the United States. It has been that way since the 1960s. This prohibition is across the board, …
Mormons Doing Nasty Things
Are Mormons more often criminals than members of other similar religions? This is a question we will never answer with precision. After all, one’s religion …
Overseas Persecution of Mormons: A Comparative Analysis
We know that the LDS Church has projected itself around the world through its missionary efforts. This has occurred during a time when U.S. immigration …
Is Wrongful Excommunication Legally Redressable?
Jeff Breinholt is a lawyer with the U.S. Department of Justice, and a hobbyist legal researcher/writer on cultural issues, including modern American religious movements. We …