The U.S. Department of Justice has issued updated guidance directing every federal agency to protect the free exercise of religion.
Religious liberty is recognized and protected under the First Amendment, and it is one of the hallmarks of our nation. But religious freedom has repeatedly come under attack in court, in government, and elsewhere.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the updated guidance on July 23. It is the first change to the DOJ’s religious liberty guidelines since 2017, and it reflects nearly a decade of important U.S. Supreme Court decisions that have expanded protections for people of faith.
The updated guidance includes several important protections. It reaffirms that the government cannot interfere in how churches and religious organizations govern themselves. It protects parents’ right to direct the religious upbringing of their children. It also ensures that religious organizations can compete for federal contracts and grants on equal footing with secular organizations — without being forced to give up their religious identity or hiring practices.
It also makes clear that religious exercise is not just about what people believe in private — it includes how people live out their faith in daily life.
Over the years, wedding venues, bakeries, photography studios, and florist shops have been dragged into court simply because their owners wanted to operate according to their deeply held convictions.
People of faith have faced pressure to check their convictions at the door in order to participate in government programs. This guidance pushes back against that.
Nobody should be forced to choose between their religious convictions and their livelihood, and nobody should be punished for obeying their conscience.
The free exercise of religion is a fundamental right — and it deserves to be treated that way at every level of government.
Arkansas is currently ranked number one in the nation on religious liberty by First Liberty Institute’s Center for Religion, Culture & Democracy. That ranking reflects years of hard work by Arkansas’ lawmakers who have passed strong protections for the free exercise of religion. For example, Arkansas’ Religious Freedom Restoration Act is one of the best in the country.
Strong federal guidance like this works hand in hand with strong state laws like Arkansas’. Together, they help ensure that Arkansans don’t have to worry about being forced to violate their faith.
Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.
