Federal Government Strengthens Religious Liberty Protections

Religious Freedom, ,

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.

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Family Council Files Amicus in 8th Circuit — Plus Petition Problems, Marijuana Mayhem, Editing Embryos, and More

Current Events, ,
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Here’s a quick recap of the week’s top stories from Family Council and our friends:

From Family Council

Family Council Files Amicus Brief Defending Ten Commandments Monument in Federal Court. On Wednesday, attorneys from Alliance Defending Freedom representing Family Council filed an amicus brief in the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals defending Arkansas’ monument of the Ten Commandments. The amicus brief identifies a basic flaw in the lawsuit against the monument, and it points out how the district court in Little Rock went against U.S. Supreme Court precedent when it ruled that anti-religion activists could demand religion be scrubbed from the public square. Keep Reading.

Secretary of State Says Arkansas Ballot Measure Rights Amendment Fails to Qualify for Ballot, Cites “Potential Signature Forgery” on Petitions. On Thursday, Arkansas Secretary of State Cole Jester announced the Arkansas Ballot Measure Rights Amendment failed to qualify for the November ballot, citing examples of “potential signature forgery” and other shortcomings on the amendment’s petitions. Keep Reading.

8th Circuit Panel Says Arkansas Can Protect Kids from Inappropriate Material in Public Libraries. On Thursday, a three-judge panel from the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Arkansas can enforce a law protecting children from inappropriate material in public libraries. Keep Reading.

Report Reminds Us Marijuana is Anything But “Harmless” On July 1, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) published a report showing that cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS) “has increased more than 500% since 2016.” The AAMC says in some cases CHS can cause seizures, heart rhythm problems, and kidney failure, and it can even be fatal. Keep Reading.

Illicit Marijuana Still Plagues Oklahoma Despite Lax Laws. Nationwide, marijuana’s supporters have claimed legalization would reduce crime by weakening organized crime, and today marijuana is legal to varying degrees in many states. But evidence shows legalization has actually emboldened drug cartels. Keep Reading.

Beyond Crispr: Recreating Man with Genetic Editing. Recently, the New York Times reported that scientists at Columbia University have used a new technology called “base editing” to alter the DNA of early human embryos with unprecedented accuracy. Keep Reading.

From Our Friends

No Ballot for Voters Who Bet on Elections With Kalshi, Wisconsin Warns. From Daily Citizen.

University of Minnesota Unveils Dolls With Mix-and-Match Genitalia for Children. From Daily Citizen.

Pro-Life Group’s Van is Vandalized a Second Time. From LifeNews.

No, Islam is Not Kind to Christians. From Breakpoint.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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Secretary of State Says Arkansas Ballot Measure Rights Amendment Fails to Qualify for Ballot, Cites “Potential Signature Forgery” on Petitions

Elections,

On Thursday, Arkansas Secretary of State Cole Jester announced the Arkansas Ballot Measure Rights Amendment failed to qualify for the November ballot, citing examples of “potential signature forgery” and other shortcomings on the amendment’s petitions.

The Arkansas Constitution lets canvassers circulate petitions to place measures on a general election ballot. Its original intent was to give citizens a way to function as a “legislative body.” But instead of giving everyday people a way to enact their own laws, special interests have hired people to circulate petitions to place misleading, deceptive, and poorly written measures on the ballot in Arkansas.

Last year, Arkansans testified in legislative committees about petition canvassers allegedly trying to provoke altercations and encouraging people to sign petitions multiple times.

In response, the Arkansas Legislature has passed several good laws intended to address petition fraud and other problems with the initiative process, but those laws have been tied up in court.

The Arkansas Ballot Measure Rights Amendment would amend the Arkansas Constitution to keep the ballot initiative process wide open and prevent the state legislature from enacting safeguards against petition fraud and other offenses.

Most of the ballot measure’s financial support appears to have come from out of state.

Ethics filings show the National Education Association in Washington, D.C., donated nearly $1.4 million to the campaign for the amendment this year. The National Education Association is the largest teacher labor union in the United States.

Another $250,000 came from The Fairness Project in Washington, D.C. According to its website, the Fairness Project currently opposes pro-life efforts in Missouri and supports a pro-abortion measure in Virginia.

On Thursday, news outlets reported Secretary of State Jester sent a letter notifying Protect AR Rights, the group backing the Arkansas Ballot Measure Rights Amendment, that it did not provide enough valid petition signatures to place the measure on the November ballot.

The Secretary of State’s letter reportedly noted a number of deficiencies and irregularities with the group’s petitions. KLRT Fox 16 News in Little Rock reports:

In a letter to Protect AR Rights, Jester wrote:

“Notably, 87 petition parts were for a different constitutional amendment, The Educational Rights Amendment of 2026, but were submitted with your petition. Two thousand seven hundred and seventy-nine (2,779) signatures were from individuals whose names were on the petition more than one time, whether due to them illegally signing multiple times or due to forgery. Fifteen times a notary appears to have notarized a canvasser’s blank signature line. Most troubling, in 504 occurrences someone appears to have forged another’s information or signature.”

The Secretary of State’s office also provided a 15-page document on its website highlighting examples of petitions that the office said were improperly notarized or that contained potentially illegal or ineligible signatures.

After counting the number of valid petition signatures submitted, the Secretary of State’s office reportedly determined that the proposal did not have enough signatures to qualify for the November ballot.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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