Religious Liberty News

For better or worse, the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. has probably influenced your view of religious freedom. In that decision, the court ruled that the government could not force the Green family, the owners of Hobby Lobby, to pay for potentially abortion-inducing drugs in their health care plan…

It was my time as a student at Wheaton College that helped me decide to become a lawyer. I never imagined that I’d have to spend six years of my legal career defending Wheaton’s right to exist. Thankfully, that six-year fight came to an end last week. The struggle began in 2011 when the Obama administration tried…

The story is all too familiar by now: A same-sex couple asks a religious baker to custom create a wedding cake. The baker politely apologizes, but the resulting lawsuit shuts down the bakery. But this time, the story has a different ending—for now. Cathy Miller runs a bakery in Bakersfield, California, called Tastries Bakery. Because…

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission may seem like an unlikely threat to religious liberty and the institution of marriage. After all, the federal agency was created to combat workplace discrimination by the Civil Rights Act of 1964. But sadly, the agency created to fight discrimination now threatens to discriminate itself. One nominee to the commission’s…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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.

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.

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….

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….

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…

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…