Michael Whitehead Stories

SCOTUS protects privacy of donor records of pro-life pregnancy center

In a unanimous First Amendment decision issued April 29, the United States Supreme Court dealt a decisive blow to a New Jersey attorney general who attempted to compel a faith-based pregnancy center to disclose the identities of its private donors.

Supreme Court ruling removes gag on Colorado Christian counselor, raises questions about Kansas City-area restrictions

In a sweeping First Amendment decision issued March 31, the United States Supreme Court removed a virtual gag on free speech which the state of Colorado had imposed on Christian counselors when talking to minors about their sexuality. The Chiles decision has immediate implications beyond Colorado—including within the state of Missouri.

U.S. Supreme Court case challenges gag rule on Christian counselors

On Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear Chiles v. Salazar, a case that strikes at the heart of free speech, religious liberty, and the proper boundaries of government regulation in mental health. Counselor Kaley Chiles wants to help young people distressed about their gender achieve their chosen goal to grow comfortable with their bodies and avoid harmful drugs and procedures. But a Colorado law forbids her from doing so, and Attorney General Salazar wants to enforce the “gag rule.”

Judge’s split decision leaves Missouri abortion clinics closed for now

Abortion clinics will remain closed in Missouri for now, in spite of Amendment 3, after a split decision by a Kansas City trial judge on Friday, Dec. 20, enjoined the total ban on abortions, but left in place certain licensing regulations that Planned Parenthood facilities do not meet.

Judge hears motions in Planned Parenthood suit on Missouri’s Amendment 3

For nearly 4½ hours on Wednesday afternoon, Dec. 4, Jackson County Circuit Judge Jerri Zhang listened to detailed legal arguments from New York attorneys for Planned Parenthood Federation of America, regarding various motions in their lawsuit to strike down two dozen Missouri statutes regulating abortion providers, based on the newly enacted Amendment 3.

U.S. Supreme Court hears case on Tennessee law protecting children from transgender medicines

The U.S. Supreme Court considered on Dec. 4 whether to uphold a Tennessee law protecting children from high-risk medicines that alter their bodies to try to make them look like the opposite sex.

Planned Parenthood files lawsuit to enforce Missouri Amendment 3

Just a few hours after passing Missouri constitutional Amendment 3, abortion industry lawyers filed a lawsuit in Kansas City, asserting their new fundamental right to make money by providing abortions in Missouri.

Federal judge strikes down Biden overtime rule nationwide

This summer, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) adopted a new rule increasing the salary thresholds for overtime pay exemption, and the rule may have had a negative impact on churches and ministries. But a federal judge, last week, struck down the new overtime rule nationwide.

New overtime rules for salaried employees may impact churches

Churches and other non-profit organizations may now be required to pay overtime to employees who were formerly exempt from overtime, or they may be required to significantly increase salaries in order to maintain “exempt” status from overtime pay rules – unless pending court challenges block the rule.

Supreme Court justices engage the wedding wars

The Masterpiece Cakeshop case was billed as one of the most important religious liberty cases of our time, but none of us expected to witness one of the most intense courtroom dramas of our lifetime.

On the eve of a major religious liberty ruling: The nation’s eyes on Trinity Lutheran case

U.S. Supreme Court expected to rule on important religious liberty case involving Trinity Lutheran Church in Columbia by the end of the month.

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