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
The Supreme Court Quietly Gives Religious Liberty a Big Win
Religious liberty and freedom of conscience won big at the Supreme Court last week, just in time for Religious Freedom Day on Jan. 16. The justices declined last week to hear a legal challenge against a Mississippi law that protects citizens, small businesses, government employees, and charities from official discrimination by government if they believe…Monica Burke -
- Opinion
Religious Liberty Is Eroding in Canada. Here’s What Americans Should Learn.
Outside of watching the occasional hockey game or purchase of maple syrup, most Americans pay little attention to Canada. We may know of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s colorful socks, but little of how unpopular he is among his constituency. We may discuss the single-payer health care system, but are unfamiliar with the government’s disrespect for…Emilie Kao -
- Opinion
The Christian Baker Need Not Have Ended Up at the Supreme Court
On Dec. 5, the Supreme Court heard the case of Jack Phillips, the Christian baker who can’t in good conscience design and create wedding cakes that celebrate same-sex marriages. The justices now will decide whether states, consistent with the First Amendment, can force citizens to express support for same-sex marriage through their artistic products. But…Ryan T. Anderson -
- Opinion
Supreme Court Justices Grill ACLU and Colorado in Christian Baker’s Case
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments Tuesday in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, a case over whether cake artist Jack Phillips can be forced by the state to design and create a cake celebrating a same-sex wedding in violation of his religious beliefs on marriage. While justices directed heated comments and tough questions…Travis Weber -
- Opinion
4 Highlights From Christian Baker’s Wedding Cake Case at Supreme Court
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Tuesday in a closely watched case dealing with free speech, religious liberty, and same-sex marriage. Specifically, the justices considered whether the state of Colorado can force Jack Phillips, a Christian baker, to create a custom cake for a same-sex wedding against his deeply held religious beliefs. Attorneys for…Emilie Kao -
- Opinion
Distinguished Group of Scholars Defends a Christian Baker’s First Amendment Rights
Jack Phillips is a Christian baker from Colorado. Should he be forced to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding in violation of his deeply held religious beliefs? A group of leading legal scholars and economists says “no.” Not only would this violate Phillips’ individual conscience, it would also violate the Constitution and have negative…Monica Burke -
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Watch Ryan Anderson Spar With LGBT Rights Advocate on Christian Baker Case
On Fox News’ “Outnumbered,” The Heritage Foundation’s Ryan T. Anderson, a senior research fellow who focuses on religious liberty and marriage, discusses the Jack Phillips case with Wayne State University’s philosophy professor John Corvino. Watch above.Daily Signal Staff -
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Meet the Lawyer Who’ll Argue at Supreme Court for Christian Baker’s Right to Free Speech
As far back as grade school, Kristen Waggoner’s father taught her to seek God’s purpose for her life. This paternal counsel, after much prayer, resulted in her knowing her calling at age 13. But growing up in a small mill town in Washington, she could not have guessed that, little more than 30 years later,…Ken McIntyre -
- Opinion
Podcast: Why Free Speech Is at Stake in Christian Baker Case
The Heritage Foundation’s Emilie Kao breaks down why the case of baker Jack Phillips, being heard by the Supreme Court Tuesday, has wide-ranging implications for free speech and for people of faith in many professions. Plus: Why President Donald Trump’s use of “Merry Christmas” matters.Katrina Trinko -
- Opinion
As Christian Baker Heads to Court, Hundreds of Artists Speak Out to Defend Free Expression
The Supreme Court is gearing up to hear one of the most important cases of the 2017 term. In Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, the court will consider whether the state of Colorado may compel cake artist Jack Phillips to create custom wedding cakes for same-sex weddings in violation of his religious beliefs….Zachary Jones -
- Opinion
If a Christian Baker’s Rights Are Violated, We All Lose. Here’s Why.
Religious freedom has set our nation apart from the very beginning. Among its many benefits, religious freedom allows religious individuals and groups to make unique contributions to the public good. And those contributions are massive—from founding countless universities and hospitals to funding charities and the arts. The economic byproduct of religious liberty is also noteworthy….Monica Burke -
- Opinion
This Large Group of Public Officials Backs a Christian Baker’s First Amendment Rights
In September, a large group of policymakers from across the nation filed three different amicus curiae (“friend of the Court”) briefs in support of Jack Phillips, the Colorado baker whose case—Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission—will soon be heard by the Supreme Court. Phillips is being sued by the state of Colorado for declining…Amy Swearer -
- News
Senate Confirms Barrett as Judge; Democrats Decline Cruz Dare to Defend Religious Liberty
Every Democrat in the Senate has an opportunity to stand for religious liberty this week in a vote to confirm a nominee for a federal appeals court, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said Monday. But only three Democrats crossed over Tuesday afternoon to vote to confirm Notre Dame law professor Amy Coney Barrett as a federal appeals…Casey Ryan -
- News
Black Leaders Discuss Religious Liberty, Difference Between Civil Rights Movement and LGBT Movement
Black leaders, including a former Atlanta fire chief who was fired for his personal beliefs and an Emmy Award-winning video producer, reject the assertion of liberal activists that support for the traditional definition of marriage is the equivalent of racism. “It never crossed my mind that in the United States of America … the same…Casey Ryan -
- Opinion
Trump Should Defend Life and Religious Liberty at UN General Assembly
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump will address the General Assembly of the United Nations for the first time when it opens its 72nd session. While this General Assembly session opens before the backdrop of several ongoing international crises—such as North Korea’s nuclear provocations and continued conflicts in Syria and the Middle East—there are some other…Grace Melton -
- News
Judicial Crisis Network Launches Ad Against Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s ‘Religious Litmus Test’
The Judicial Crisis Network is launching ad campaigns against two Democratic senators who are blocking President Donald Trump’s judicial nominees. The two campaigns are against Sens. Al Franken, D-Minn., and Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. Franken is refusing to return the blue slip for Justice David Stras, nominated to serve on the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of…Casey Ryan -
- Opinion
I’m a Descendant of Holocaust Survivors. Why I’m Appalled at the Comparison of Christian Bakers to Nazis.
It’s November 1938, and the Nazis have confiscated a silk factory owned by the same Jewish family for over a decade, arresting the owner. Fast forward to 2014, and a state official has compared a Colorado Christian baker to the same group that took away what belonged to the Jewish silk factory owner—the father of…Jackson Richman -
- News
Sen. Mike Lee: Christian Baker Case About First Amendment, ‘Compelled Speech’
Sen. Mike Lee is warning that the case of a Colorado baker in legal peril for refusing to bake a specialty wedding cake for a same-sex couple’s commitment ceremony is about more than religious liberty or LGBT rights, but about whether the government can compel speech. “The government cannot force you to speak where you…Fred Lucas -
- News
Underreported: Christian Baker Reacts to Government Official Comparing Him to a Nazi
In 2014, Colorado Civil Rights Commissioner Diann Rice compared Jack Phillips, a Christian baker who was sued for declining to make a cake for a same-sex ceremony, to perpetrators of the Holocaust. She said: I would also like to reiterate what we said in … the last meeting [concerning Jack Phillips]. Freedom of religion and…Kelsey Bolar -
- News
Lawyers Ask Supreme Court to Hear Second Religious Liberty, Same-Sex Marriage Case
Less than one month after the U.S. Supreme Court announced it would review the case of a Colorado baker who declined to make a cake for a gay couple’s wedding celebration because of his religious beliefs about marriage, lawyers asked the high court to combine it with a similar case involving a florist from Washington…Kelsey Bolar