Americans need some victories. Now they’re finally coming.
Because the DOJ just handed conservatives a massive win that could change everything.
Trump DOJ Delivers Major Win for Religious Americans With Sweeping Liberty Protections
The Trump administration directed federal agencies Thursday to give greater weight to religious liberty when writing regulations, enforcing federal law, and accommodating employees’ religious beliefs, marking the first major update to Justice Department guidance on the issue since Trump’s first term in 2017.
DOJ Guidance Reflects Nearly a Decade of Supreme Court Wins for Religious Liberty
The updated guidance, issued under Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, instructs executive agencies to ensure their policies comply with the First Amendment, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, and a string of recent Supreme Court decisions that have strengthened protections for religious exercise.
The DOJ said the guidance reflects nearly a decade of new Supreme Court precedent and is intended to ensure federal agencies protect religious Americans across employment, federal contracting, grants, rulemaking and enforcement actions. Among the changes, agencies are now directed to weigh religious-liberty concerns earlier in the regulatory process, accommodate religious expression in the federal workplace when required by law, and ensure religious organizations can compete for federal grants and contracts on equal footing with secular groups.
The guidance also reaffirms constitutional protections allowing churches to govern their own internal affairs and highlights recent Supreme Court rulings recognizing parents’ rights to direct the religious upbringing of their children.
Faith Groups Praise Trump for Defending “America’s First Freedom”
“The updated guidance will ensure that the federal government will respect the religious liberty rights of all Americans when implementing the President’s policies,” said Kelly Shackelford, president, CEO and chief counsel of First Liberty Institute.
Shackelford thanked President Trump “for his strong efforts to protect America’s first freedom—religious freedom.”
First Liberty said the guidance references two Supreme Court victories the organization was involved in: Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, in which the Court ruled that a public high school football coach’s postgame prayer was protected under the First Amendment, and Groff v. DeJoy, which held that employers must generally provide religious accommodations unless doing so would impose a substantial hardship.
Update Replaces 2017 Guidance With Newer Precedent
The updated memorandum replaces guidance issued during Trump’s first administration and incorporates Supreme Court decisions handed down in the years since, which the department says have clarified and strengthened both constitutional and statutory protections for religious exercise.
According to the DOJ, the Office of Legal Policy will continue working with federal agencies to review proposed regulations and other government actions for compliance with the newly reinforced religious-liberty protections. A DOJ spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for additional comment on the practical impact of the updated guidance.
