Barbara Bradley Hagerty
Barbara Bradley Hagerty is the religion correspondent for NPR, reporting on the intersection of faith and politics, law, science and culture. Her New York Times best-selling book, "Fingerprints of God: The Search for the Science of Spirituality," was published by Riverhead/Penguin Group in May 2009. Among others, Barb has received the American Women in Radio and Television Award, the Headliners Award and the Religion Newswriters Association Award for radio reporting.
Before covering the religion beat, Barb was NPR's Justice Department correspondent between 1998 and 2003. Her billet included the impeachment proceedings against President Clinton, Florida's disputed 2000 election, terrorism, crime, espionage, wrongful convictions and the occasional serial killer. Barbara was the lead correspondent covering the investigation into the September 11 attacks. Her reporting was part of NPR's coverage that earned the network the 2001 George Foster Peabody and Overseas Press Club awards. She has appeared on the PBS programs Washington Week and The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.
Barb came to NPR in 1995, after attending Yale Law School on a one-year Knight Fellowship. From 1982-1993, she worked at The Christian Science Monitor as a newspaper reporter in Washington, as the Asia correspondent based in Tokyo for World Monitor (the Monitor's nightly television program on the Discovery Cable Channel) and finally as senior Washington correspondent for Monitor Radio.
Barb was graduated magna cum laude from Williams College in 1981 with a degree in economics, and has a masters in legal studies from Yale Law School.
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In the 2004 election, citizens in 11 states amended their constitutions to define marriage as between a man and a woman. This year promises to be a rematch of that question: As many as 10 states will consider an amendment to ban gay marriage. -
A Maryland judge has ruled that a state law that bans same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. But the judge said she won't allow couples to get married while the attorney general appeals. While the ruling is a victory for efforts to allow same-sex unions, it is certain to be challenged.
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A Maryland circuit court judge rules that a 1973 statute that defines marriage as between a man and a woman violates the state constitution. Judge Brooke Murdock stayed the opinion until a higher court has affirmed the decision. The state attorney general is appealing to an intermediate court.
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A group of parents Tuesday sued El Tejon Unified School district over a rural school's philosophy class. The class includes instruction about the evolution alternative Intelligent Design.
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A federal judge rules against the teaching of intelligent design in Dover, Pa., schools. He says the concept is a "religious view" that has no place in science classrooms. The case could have important implications for the teaching of evolution in schools across the country. -
The IRS has stepped up its investigations of churches accused of endorsing political candidates. The agency is examining about 60 churches over complaints about endorsements from the 2004 election alone. The groups could lose their tax-exempt status.
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As Judge Samuel Alito preps for his Senate confirmation hearing, every word that the Supreme Court nominee has ever written has come under a microscope, including his judicial opinions about the relationship between church and state. One theme does emerge from Alito's writings: the more religion, the better.
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After publishing an article by a proponent of intelligent design, scientist Richard Sternberg found himself the target of retaliation at the Smithsonian Institution. His case is probably the best-documented battle in the war between the vast majority of scientists and a tiny insurgency promoting an alternative to evolution.
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The Los Angeles Archdiocese releases hundreds of pages of documents relating to sexual abuse by Roman Catholic priests. The files detail accusations against nearly 130 priests. They also show that for decades, the archdiocese moved abusive priests from one parish to another.
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The American Red Cross is garnering the lion's share of hurricane relief donations from Americans. The relief agency is written into law as the first responder to natural catastrophes. But some charities say that leaves them with fewer resources for long-term rebuilding.
