The Maine Supreme Judicial Court is weighing whether a lower court overstepped constitutional limits when it barred a mother from taking her 12-year-old daughter to church services and restricted her from exposing the child to Bible teachings.

The case, Bickford v. Bradeen , has drawn attention for its unusual scope and the broader questions it raises about parental rights, judicial neutrality toward religion and the evidentiary standards used in family-law disputes.

Newsweek contacted attorneys for comment outside of normal office hours on Monday.

Why It Matters

At the center of the case is an unusually sweeping custody order that barred a Maine mother from taking her 12-year-old daughter to church or exposing her to Bible teachings—restrictions the mother argues violate her consti

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