Religious Liberty News
Stories on legal battles, faith in public life, and policies that affect religious freedom. The Daily Signal reports on challenges and victories surrounding First Amendment protections.
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- Opinion
Balancing Religious Liberty and National Security: A Lesson From Ancient Greece
Pericles, a leader of the first democracy in Athens, gave a famous speech extolling Athenian greatness at a funeral for fallen soldiers. “Our constitution does not copy the laws of neighboring states; we are rather a pattern to others than imitators ourselves,” Pericles boasted in Thucydides’ account of the speech. Athens served as the “school”…Matthew Ladner -
- News
Riley Moore Acts to Protect Catholic Veterans’ Right to the Crucifix
Nearly 1 in 5 veterans who serve our country are Catholic, yet the Department of Veterans Affairs does not grant them the option to display the crucifix on their headstones when buried at national cemeteries—but this is about to change. With strong Catholic members on the House Appropriations Committee, this will soon be mandated by…Virginia Grace McKinnon -
- Opinion
First Pick in NFL Draft Puts God First
Fernando Mendoza, the quarterback, Heisman Trophy winner, and national champion from the Indiana Hoosiers, was the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft on Thursday night. He was projected to be the sure pick for the Las Vegas Raiders but rather than be in Pittsburgh for the big night, he decided to remain at…Thomas Griffin -
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- News
EXCLUSIVE: Conservative Florida Insider Looks to Flip Democrat Seat in Florida House
FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—Miguel Granda, a longtime Republican staffer and “Christian conservative whose ideas are rooted in his Christians values,” told The Daily Signal he has filed his candidacy for Florida House District 117 on Tuesday. Granda, 34, told The Daily Signal that his experience as a legislative aide to Florida Rep. David Borrero…Pedro Rodriguez -
- Opinion
Does the First Amendment Protect Progressive Bakers From Serving Republicans?
A progressive baker asks Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders to leave her croissant shop because her presence makes her staff feel uncomfortable. Across the nation in Oregon, Melissa Klein and her husband await a state appellate court decision whether their right to free exercise of religion includes the right to decline designing a cake celebrating…Jordan Lorence -
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Religious Liberty Commission Hears Testimony on Faith Conflicts in Health Care, Social Services
The Religious Liberty Commission held a hearing at the Museum of the Bible on March 16 to examine religious liberty issues in health care and social services. Across multiple panels, witnesses described professional and legal consequences they said followed decisions to practice their faith. Testimony came from parents, physicians, counselors, and faith leaders who addressed topics including gender…Reagan Campbell -
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Museum of Bible Hosts First Meeting of New Religious Liberty Commission
The newly created Religious Liberty Commission held its first meeting on Monday at the Museum of the Bible in Washington. On the agenda for discussion by the commission was the history of religious liberty in the U.S. and the Supreme Court’s role in interpreting the rights to religious expression and exercise. “[I]t’s so vitally important…Jacob Adams -
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Religious Liberty Succeeds Because It Taps Into America’s ‘Live and Let Live’ Instincts
There is still hope religious liberty will prevail in America even though many wish to tear it down, including some in government, according to the president of the religious freedom law firm the Becket Fund. Many religious liberty cases succeed because they tap into the “live and let live instinct” of Americans, Mark Rienzi told…Lucy Gilbert -
- Opinion
Judge’s Ordering Airline’s Lawyers to Take Religious Liberty Sensitivity Training Sends Left Into Tailspin
One of the Left’s favorite things to advocate for is diversity and inclusion training. It’s celebrated and even revered, and it’s demanded on social media, in workplaces, at corporations, and within educational institutions. But it seems the Left isn’t so happy when the tables are turned. Take the Monday ruling of a federal judge in…Nicole Russell -
- Opinion
Christian Bakers Challenge $135K Fine for Quoting Bible Verse
Did Oregon officials violate their duty to remain neutral on matters of religion when they ordered Christian bakers Aaron and Melissa Klein to pay $135,000 for declining to create a custom same-sex wedding cake, a move that crushed the small, family-owned business? That’s the question that the Oregon Court of Appeals will answer after having…Keisha Russell -
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Misguided Fairness for All Act Would Undermine Religious Liberty
Earlier this year, the House of Representatives passed the Equality Act, which would add sexual orientation and gender identity as protected categories in the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The radical bill drew widespread opposition from conservatives, and with good reason, as it would enshrine radical gender ideology in federal law and decimate the religious…Andrea Jones -
- News
3 Big Wins for Religious Liberty Indicate Tide Is Turning
Air Force Col. Leland Bohannon, a combat veteran, was close to retirement when he entered an unexpected fight—one to preserve his two-decade military career. “There always will be a pending opportunity for you to stand for what God has said in his word as the differences between where society is going and where God has…Fred Lucas -
- Opinion
In California, the Right to Gender ‘Transition’ Is Threatening Religious Liberty
In the age of transgenderism, the right to medically transition is threatening some of the most basic freedoms we’ve known, such as religious freedom. Consider a recent case out of California, where a state appeals court ruled that a transgender man can move forward with a lawsuit suing a Catholic hospital for discrimination. In April…Nicole Russell -
- Opinion
Arizona’s Supreme Court Notches a Win for Free Speech, Religious Liberty
The Arizona Supreme Court handed a win to two Christian artists Monday in the latest dispute over religious liberty and nondiscrimination laws. The court ruled 4-3 that the city of Phoenix cannot use a local nondiscrimination ordinance to coerce the owners of an art studio into creating custom wedding invitations that express messages that violate…Nicole Russell -
- Opinion
Trump Should Use UN Meeting to Champion Religious Liberty
Heads of state will flock shortly to Turtle Bay for the annual meeting of the United Nations General Assembly. They have no better opportunity to highlight perhaps the most important human rights issue of our times— religious freedom. President Donald Trump ought to take concerns over this most basic of human liberties center stage at…James Carafano -
- Opinion
House Democrats Put Current Religious Liberty Protections Under Microscope
If you thought House Democrats would slow down after six months of LGBT-open borders-infanticide socialism, think again. Based on Tuesday’s hearing, the new majority is just warming up. Apparently, it’s not enough to try to strip away people’s privacy, speech, liberty, and dignity. Now, the left is coming for the biggest prize of all: our…Tony Perkins -
- News
Supreme Court Dodges Decision in Christian Bakers’ Refusal to Make Cake for Same-Sex Wedding
The Supreme Court lifted an order Monday that punished a Christian couple in Oregon who refused to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding, telling a lower court to reconsider the dispute in light of the high court's decision last year involving another Christian baker in Colorado. The decision keeps a contentious social dispute over…Kevin Daley -
- Opinion
How the US Is Promoting Religious Liberty Around the World
Around the world, religious liberty remains under threat. In China, a million Uighurs Muslims are now in internment camps—and it’s not the only nation where there’s no true freedom of religion. Sam Brownback, U.S. ambassador at large for international religious freedom, joins us to discuss. Read the interview, posted below, or listen to the podcast:…Daniel Davis -
- Opinion
Washington State May Have Triggered the Next Major Religious Liberty Case
One year ago last week, in a major religious liberty case, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Christian cake artist Jack Phillips. Yet just one year later, a floral artist in Washington state now finds herself in similar circumstances to Jack. Her case could prompt the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit the matter. In…John Bursch -
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Christian Cake Baker’s Attorney: 3rd Lawsuit Is ‘Rehash’ of ‘Old Claims’
A Colorado baker is being sued for a third time for refusing to design custom cakes that he says run contrary to his religious beliefs. Jack Phillips, the owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop in Lakewood, Colorado—first sued in 2012 for declining to create a custom cake for a same-sex wedding because of his traditional Christian beliefs—is…Rachel del Guidice