(CNSNews.com) – A federal district court extended an order on Wednesday that allows a 13-year-old boy to return to his public school wearing his rosary until at least Sept. 10. The boy, Raymond Hosier, had been suspended from Oneida Middle School for wearing a Catholic rosary, which he had worn since the age of seven after his brother was killed in a car accident.

Hosier, a seventh-grader at the school in Schenectady, New York, was suspended for the day on Monday, May 17 for wearing his rosary. School officials claimed the rosary beads were gang-related and that Hosier had violated its dress code, which prohibits students from wearing anything it deems to be “gang related.”

The school’s dress code, however, does not specifically mention rosary beads. But the student dress code says, "A student's dress, grooming and appearance, including hair, jewelry, make-up and nails, shall: ...

The 7-foot-tall metal cross that has stood in California's Mojave Desert for 75 years and withstood a hard-fought battle in the Supreme Court was ripped down and stolen Sunday night, according to state officials.

"This is an outrage, akin to desecrating people's graves," said Kelly Shackelford, president of the Liberty Institute, which represents the caretakers of the Mojave Desert War Memorial. "It's a disgraceful attack on the selfless sacrifice of our veterans. We will not rest until this memorial is re-installed."

The National Park Service says someone cut the metal bolts holding the metal-pipe cross to the top of Sunrise Rock and made off with it Sunday night or before dawn on Monday...

(CNSNews.com) – Two top evangelical leaders sounded a defiant tone on the eve of National Day of Prayer -- warning that the American right to freedom of religion “is being eroded every day” and may be lost in an onslaught of secularism unless Americans “have the guts to stand up.”

The Rev. Franklin Graham, who last month was officially “dis-invited” by the Army to speak at a National Day of Prayer ceremony at the Pentagon for statements he made about Islam, said he will not back down in preaching the Gospel as he sees it...

(CNSNews.com) – The Obama administration is failing to talk about -- and stick up for -- religious freedom around the world, according to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.

“Presidential references to religious freedom have become rare, often replaced at most with references to freedom of worship,” said USCIRF Chairman Leonard Leo, announcing the release of the 2010 commission report. “The same holds true for many of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s speeches.”

Failing to talk about religious freedom “could well be viewed by human rights defenders and officials in other countries as having concrete policy implications”...

TALLAHASSEE, FL - A weakened school prayer bill has been sent to Florida Gov. Charlie Crist.

The legislation inspired by a Florida Panhandle lawsuit received final passage 27-9 in the state Senate on Thursday. It earlier passed 107-8 in the House.

The bill would bar schools from infringing on the First Amendment freedoms of teachers, staff or students unless they sign a written waiver of those rights...

WASHINGTON -- Saudi Arabia and China are among 13 countries a U.S. government panel named on Thursday as serious violators of religious freedom.

The panel's report also criticized the current and former administrations in Washington for doing far too little to make basic religious rights universal.

That is the goal of the congressional act that founded the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom in 1998. The commission investigates conditions in what it calls "hot spots," where religious freedom is endangered. Its job is to recommend U.S. government policies to improve conditions...

RICHMOND, VA - Virginia State Police chaplains can invoke Jesus during prayers again.

State Police Superintendent Stephen Flaherty reinstated a policy allowing chaplains to use the name Jesus on Wednesday.

Under former Gov. Tim Kaine, who chairs the Democratic National Committee, Flaherty barred chaplains from praying in Jesus' name after a federal appeals court said prayers delivered on behalf of governments cannot favor one religion over another...

A bipartisan group of House lawmakers Wednesday denounced a federal judge's recent ruling that the National Day of Prayer is unconstitutional and said they were calling on President Obama to aggressively appeal the decision.

"What brings us together today is a misguided court decision which threatens the longstanding tradition of this country," said Rep. Frank Wolf, Virginia Republican. "I urge the Obama administration to appeal this decision and to dedicate the best and brightest minds of the Justice Department to this case."

Mr. Wolf, a co-sponsor of the legislation President Reagan signed in 1988 that designated the first Thursday in May as the National Day of Prayer, also was joined by approximately 30 Republican and Democrat lawmakers from the Congressional Prayer Caucus in issuing a House resolution calling for an appeal of the April 15 decision by a federal judge in Wisconsin...

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments Monday in a battle over the rights of freedom of expression and freedom of association on college campuses -- and observers note the justices appeared to be divided.

The University of California's Hastings College of the Law refused to recognize the chapter of the Christian Legal Society (CLS) because it requires all of its officers and voting members to subscribe to its basic Christian beliefs. CLS says "unrepentant participation in or advocacy of a sexually immoral lifestyle" is inconsistent with the statement of faith its voting members are required to sign.

However, Hastings says official campus groups, which get school funding, may not exclude people due to religious belief or sexual orientation. During yesterday's arguments, Kim Colby, senior counsel with the Christian Legal Society, noted that its activities are open to everyone, but it objects to "being run by non-Christians"...

The Supreme Court will consider Monday whether a Christian university club must follow its school's non-discrimination policy.

The Christian Legal Society chapter at the University of California Hastings College filed the lawsuit that started the case.

The university stripped the chapter of its school club status and funding when the group refused to allow club officers who did not sign its statement of beliefs...