10 years ago today, the work of religious liberty advocates – including the Baptist Joint Committee – paid off as President Clinton signed the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act into law. Realizing that subtle forms of discrimination, sometimes purposeful and sometimes not, were greatly inhibiting the ability of many Americans to practice their faith freely, Congress responded, as the 10-year Department of Justice report explains:
[O]vert discrimination and violence are not the only threats to religious liberty. Recognizing this, 10 years ago lawmakers once again came together to protect religious liberty by passing the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA), which was signed into law on September 22, 2000. The law, which passed both houses of Congress unanimously and was supported by a broad coalition of religiously and ideologically diverse groups, addresses religious discrimination and government infringement of religious liberty in two areas: local land-use laws, such as zoning and landmarking ordinances, and the religious exercise of persons confined to institutions.
Upon signing the Act, President Clinton said, “Religious liberty is a constitutional value of the highest order, and the Framers of the Constitution included protection for the free exercise of religion in the very first Amendment. This Act recognizes the importance the free exercise of religion plays in our democratic society.”
In the ten years since its passage, RLUIPA has helped secure the ability of thousands of individuals and institutions to practice their faiths freely and without discrimination. This has come both through victories in courts as well as through government officials voluntarily modifying their behavior to comply with the law.
The Baptist Joint Committee has more info on RLUIPA, including a timeline of its enactment, here.
