FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, July 14, 2026
Little Rock, Ark. – On Tuesday, First Liberty Institute’s Center for Religion, Culture & Democracy announced Arkansas is leading the nation in its Religious Liberty in the States index.
In a statement, Family Council President Jerry Cox said, “This is something Arkansans can celebrate. First Liberty is one of our country’s leading supporters of religious freedom. Their index looks at laws and protections for religious liberty in all 50 states. If they say Arkansas is leading the nation, you can believe it.”
Cox said making Arkansas number-one on religious liberty took years of hard work. “This was a team effort. Arkansas’ lawmakers spent a lot of years sponsoring legislation and working hard to get those religious freedom protections in place. In 2015, former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson signed Arkansas’ first Religious Freedom Restoration Act into law. It’s a good law that keeps the government from burdening the free exercise of religion. In 2023, Governor Sanders signed an even better law that strengthened the 2015 measure. Since 2021, the Arkansas Legislature has passed laws protecting healthcare workers’ rights of conscience, affirming religious freedom at school, and protecting people of faith from being penalized for living out their convictions. A lot of people deserve credit for making Arkansas into a leader on religious liberty. Family Council has been happy to support those good efforts.”
Cox said the free exercise of religion is a fundamental right. “Religious liberty is not just the right to believe in something. It’s the right to live according to your faith. This number-one ranking shows Arkansas has some of the best laws in the nation when it comes to protecting religious liberty.”
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