ADF commends final rules protecting religious freedom, free speech

The following quote may be attributed to Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Zack Pruitt regarding the final rules announced Tuesday by nine executive agencies in response to President Donald Trump’s executive order on religious liberty, the U.S. attorney general’s memorandum on religious liberty, and the U.S. Supreme Court’s opinion in Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia v. Comer:

“The American people lose when the government decides which beliefs should prevail. Instead, the federal government should treat religious Americans and organizations on an equal playing field with their secular neighbors. That’s why we commend the administration and its agencies for finalized rules that emphasize the federal government’s commitment to respect and protect the free exercise of religion and the freedom of speech all Americans have under the Constitution. Our public comments filed in February encouraged these agencies to apply the First Amendment in a manner consistent with the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2017 decision in the ADF case Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia v. Comer. The finalized rules reflect that commitment and help ensure that no one is excluded from a public benefit solely on the basis of religious identity, a kind of discrimination the Supreme Court said in that decision ‘is odious to our Constitution…, and cannot stand.’”

ADF submitted comments to four of the agencies in support of federal regulations governing the eligibility of faith-based entities to participate in certain federal programs.

Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization that advocates for the right of people to freely live out their faith.

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