Amid the flurry of executive orders coming from the Trump White House, two issued Jan. 29 related to education, and both drew immediate fire from educators and church-state separationists. The first order, “Expanding Educational Freedom and Opportunity for Families,” promotes…
Swift responses follow Trump’s promised executive orders
Just as quickly as President Donald Trump set in motion his controversial agenda for a new administration, leaders in the faith and civil rights communities began reacting. Within minutes of Trump’s fiery inaugural address, groups from Focus on the Family…
Americans United investigating Ohio construction grants to religious schools
Americans United for Separation of Church and State has launched an investigation into the state of Ohio reportedly funding at least $3 million of construction and renovation at private religious schools. This year, the state made history by offering grants…
Americans United launches toolkit to help anyone talk about dangers of Project 2025
One of the more infuriating and frightening aspects of Project 2025 is the audacity of its designers to openly promote the subversion of the U.S. government and Constitution, said Rachel Laser, president of Americans United for Separation of Church and…
Ryan Walters descends from the Capitol with new commandments for Oklahoma teachers
The handwriting is on the wall for Oklahoma teachers. Anyone who knows the Jewish and Christian Scriptures would understand that statement is a riff on a well-known passage from Daniel 5:5 where mysterious handwriting appeared on the wall with a…
Oklahoma schools chief mandates Bibles in every public school classroom
Two days after the Oklahoma Supreme Court swatted down an attempt to use public funds to support a Catholic charter school, the state superintendent of public instruction mandated all public schools have a Christian Bible in the classroom and teach…
Fighting Ten Commandments law is part of ‘the civil rights movement of our generation,’ ACLU leader says
“We are in the civil rights movement of our generation,” Alanah Odoms said of the battle to oppose posting the Ten Commandments in every Louisiana school classroom. Odoms, executive director of the ACLU of Louisiana, said the Ten Commandments law…
Biden administration restores religious protections for those receiving federal social services
Religious liberty advocates are hailing a new Biden administration rule that protects the recipients of federally funded social services from discrimination by the religious groups that administer them. The White House measure is designed to prevent faith-based organizations that receive…
Abandoned by evangelicals, Americans United continues 75-year fight for church-state separation
In 1947, Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Episcopal and Seventh-day Adventist leaders gathered in Chicago to form a new group: Protestants and Other Americans United for Separation of Church and State. Founding members included Clyde W. Taylor, secretary of the National…
High court unanimously seeks a compromise on religious accommodation in the workplace
In a rare unanimous decision, the U.S. Supreme Court June 29 found a compromise on a thorny religious liberty claim: What constitutes “undue hardship” on an employer required to accommodate a worker’s religious practices? Rather than unwinding legal precedent —…
Four groups warn Texas schools against new chaplaincy scheme
Four church-state separationist groups have sent a letter to Texas school superintendents and school boards warning them a law enacted by the Texas Legislature this year is unconstitutional and they should not take the bait. Not said explicitly in the…
Oklahoma’s OK for nation’s first religious charter school to be challenged in court
Legal, political and faith-based opposition is mounting against Oklahoma’s action clearing the way for the nation’s first religious charter school. Americans United for the Separation of Church and State announced preparations are under way for legal action after the Oklahoma…