The Narthex
50 Years of the Hyde Amendment
Basic questions of constitutional order are back in play
By John M. Grondelski | October 13th 2026 11:31 AMSeptember 30 was the fiftieth anniversary of Congress first approving the “Hyde Amendment,” a budget provision subsequently adopted every year for the past half century limiting federal funds for Medicaid abortions. For those too young to remember its first enactment, it’s worth recalling the Constitutional issues that plagued its adoption…
READ FULL BLOG POSTOn Defining Religion Too Narrowly
Secularists have long argued for the state’s right to control hospitals and schools
By John M. Grondelski | June 20th 2025 11:40 AMOn June 16, the U.S. Supreme Court kicked back Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany v. Harris to the New York Court of Appeals (the state’s real supreme court). SCOTUS told the New York court to reconsider its earlier decision in light of last week’s ruling in Catholic Charities v. Wisconsin…
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