Chiles v. Salazar could also resolve case on 'counseling censorship' in Jackson County, Mo. EDITOR'S NOTE: Mike and Jon Whitehead practice law in Lee’s Summit, Mo. Mike serves on the Board of Directors for Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF). Mike and Jon volunteer as allied attorneys with ADF. The opinions in this article are their own. Washington, DC – 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 … [Read more...]
Judge’s split decision leaves Missouri abortion clinics closed for now
EDITOR’S NOTE: Mike Whitehead is a Kansas City trial attorney and outside general counsel for Missouri Baptist Convention. His views are his own. This article is not legal advice but provides information for educational purposes only. KANSAS CITY, Mo. – 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 … [Read more...]
Judge hears motions in Planned Parenthood suit on Missouri’s Amendment 3
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – 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. Missouri’s Solicitor General Josh Divine told the judge that the State agreed that the “trigger ban” on abortion … [Read more...]
U.S. Supreme Court hears case on Tennessee law protecting children from transgender medicines
EDITOR'S NOTE: Mike Whitehead is an attorney in private practice in Lee’s Summit, Mo., and serves on the Board of Directors for Alliance Defending Freedom. The opinions of the author are his own. This article is not legal advice, but is provided for education and information only. WASHINGTON, D.C. – 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 … [Read more...]
Planned Parenthood files lawsuit to enforce Missouri Amendment 3
READ UPDATE: 'Judge hears motions in Planned Parenthood suit on Missouri’s Amendment 3' (Click link here.) KANSAS CITY, Mo. – 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. Confident that the investment of $30.9 million would buy them a simple majority victory (as it did, with 51.6% of the vote), Planned Parenthood lawyers … [Read more...]
Federal judge strikes down Biden overtime rule nationwide
SHERMAN, Texas – 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. On Nov. 15, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas vacated and set aside the DOL's final regulation increasing the salary threshold for the “white collar” overtime exemption … [Read more...]
New overtime rules for salaried employees may impact churches
WASHINGTON – The US Department of Labor has adopted a new rule effective July 1, 2024, that increases the salary thresholds required to exempt a salaried executive, administrative or professional employee from federal overtime pay requirements. Pastors and some ministers may continue to be exempt from overtime rules, but the new rule may still impact a church’s payroll for non-ministerial program and support staff. Churches and other non-profit organizations may now be required to pay … [Read more...]
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. Yet none of us in the Supreme Court on December 5, 2017, expected to witness one of the most intense courtroom dramas of our lifetime. We were there because we had filed “amicus curiae” briefs in support of petitioner Jack Phillips, the Denver cake artist who serves any customer, but who does not do every event, e.g., custom wedding cakes for same-sex weddings. We sat in the … [Read more...]
On the eve of a major religious liberty ruling: The nation’s eyes on Trinity Lutheran case
EDITOR’S NOTE: Michael Whitehead has practiced law in Missouri for more than 40 years. He practices with his son, Jonathan, in suburban Kansas City, and he serves as MBC general counsel and represents numerous individuals and ministry organizations. Both Mike and Jonathan are on the legal team defending Trinity Lutheran Church in Columbia, in a religious liberty case that was heard at the U.S. Supreme Court this spring. A ruling on the case is expected by the end of the month, before the … [Read more...]