The Religious Freedom Restoration Act is unconstitutional and opened the door to the death of religious liberty in America, political science professor Marci Hamilton told the Texas Tribune Festival Nov. 13. Hamilton, a lawyer with extensive experience in religious liberty…
Religious freedom and dignity for prisoners at US Supreme Court
Religious freedom is for everyone. That’s a promise — as well as a calling for us today — straight out of our country’s flawed but hopeful “history and tradition” that the current U.S. Supreme Court keeps emphasizing. If we want…
Texas anti-abortion bill would nullify RFRA
As the Texas Legislature convenes for yet another special session this week, lawmakers will face a surprise item buried on the agenda that would affect religious liberty. Senate Bill 7 (originally Senate Bill 2880 and then Senate Bill 6), which…
‘Do No Harm Act’ gets introduced yet again
A coalition of Democratic legislators has reintroduced the “Do No Harm Act” in the U.S. Congress with hopes of clarifying that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act cannot be used to harm others. The bill has been reintroduced every year since…
27 more religious groups sue to stop ICE raids at churches
Fellowship Southwest and the Hispanic Baptist Convention of Texas are among 27 religious bodies that filed suit against the Trump administration Feb. 11 to stop ICE agents from having access to houses of worship for immigration raids. The multiparty lawsuit…
Iowa governor signs religious freedom law at Christian group’s event
Iowa’s governor signed a Religious Freedom Restoration Act into law April 3, thrilling religious conservatives who claim it protects religious liberties while worrying liberals who fear it will be used to favor religious claims over other rights and open the…
Indiana court cites religious freedom as reason to override abortion ban
Religion won on the opposite side of an abortion case than usual April 4, part of a trend of those who favor access to abortion declaring they have a religious right to the procedure. That counters the more common narrative…
In state legislatures, a push against trans teens, for churches as ‘essential’ and seeking to define ‘religious freedom’
Ensuring the absolute right of churches to meet during a global pandemic, amending religious freedom legislation and enacting legislation against transgender youth have emerged as key faith-based actions in state legislatures across the nation this year. All three issues are…
Equality Act stirs passions about the definition of religious liberty and RFRA’s role
When the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Equality Act last week, the long-simmering battle between religious conservatives and the rest of the nation reached a renewed pitch. At stake is the desire of religious conservatives — especially evangelical Christians…
Does landmark religious freedom legislation need a fix or is it fine as is?
Does the landmark Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 need a legislative fix? Some Democratic Congressmen and religious freedom advocates believe so, which has prompted a renewed attempt to resolve problems they believe have been created by conservative court rulings…
You might have missed this, but the Supreme Court just opened a new term
Lost amid a contentious presidential election, COVID-19 and Senate confirmation hearings for a Supreme Court justice, the high court opened its new term Oct. 6 by hearing oral arguments in a case about the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Due to…
How the nuns won at the Supreme Court and why it matters
Most people probably had not heard of The Little Sisters of the Poor Saints Peter and Paul Home before it joined the fight with the federal government over required coverage of contraception in employer-provided medical insurance plans. That was the…