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Written by Don Byrd, these updates bring together the latest news impacting the conversation around religious freedom and the separation of church and state.

illustration of hands holding political campaign pins with the words vote and elect, and images of the donkey and elephant, in red white and blue

In new lawsuit, religious nonprofit targets Johnson Amendment in order to endorse political candidates without losing tax-exempt status

The Johnson Amendment protects nonprofits from being entangled in electoral politics, and in turn it protects taxpayers from unwittingly providing tax exemptions to an agent of a political campaign.
South Carolina Supreme Court strikes down school voucher program

South Carolina Supreme Court strikes down school voucher program

Legal protections against the public funding of private and religious schools aren’t about limiting choice. They are about protecting the taxpayer and upholding our civic commitment to public education, where all students and parents know they belong.
Judge issues injunction in case involving exclusion of Jewish students from campus facilities during protest over war in Gaza

Judge issues injunction in case involving exclusion of Jewish students from campus facilities during protest over war in Gaza

The lawsuit alleges that officials failed to protect the right of Jewish students at UCLA to full access of university facilities during protests in the spring about the war in Gaza.
Oklahoma, Texas push forward with Bible curriculum requirements in public schools

Oklahoma, Texas push forward with Bible curriculum requirements in public schools

While all eyes are understandably focused on the national election right now, these stories are good reminders that what happens in state legislatures and agencies has an enormous personal and immediate impact on religious freedom.
Florida district court: City-organized prayer vigil violates Establishment Clause, even without Lemon test

Florida district court: City-organized prayer vigil violates Establishment Clause, even without Lemon test

For decades, the Lemon test had guided courts in evaluating Establishment Clause cases, but the Kennedy decision abandoned it, replacing that guide with a vague “historical practices and understandings” standard.
What does Project 2025 say about religious liberty and the separation of church and state?

What does Project 2025 say about religious liberty and the separation of church and state?

What Project 2025 envisions for religious liberty and the role of religion in governance, both explicitly and implicitly, is striking and troubling.
Oklahoma Supreme Court strikes down state’s religious charter school as unconstitutional

Oklahoma Supreme Court strikes down state’s religious charter school as unconstitutional

That funding would not only violate the Oklahoma constitution’s prohibition on “using public money for the ‘use, benefit or support of a sect or system of religion,’" it would also run afoul of the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment.
Photo illustration of the US Supreme Court building

Secret recordings reveal contrasting views of Justice Alito and Chief Justice Roberts on role of religion and morality at SCOTUS

The conversation with Lauren Windsor, posing as a conservative Christian during an annual gathering of the Supreme Court Historical Society, seems to reveal a troubling perspective from Justice Alito.
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