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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.

With battles in Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana, public school classrooms are a troubling religious liberty hotspot

With battles in Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana, public school classrooms are a troubling religious liberty hotspot

A public school classroom should be a place where all students feel welcome regardless of their religious perspective. Instead, it is quickly becoming a laboratory for activists seeking to promote a Christian nationalist agenda.
Voters soundly reject school voucher initiatives in multiple states

Voters soundly reject school voucher initiatives in multiple states

In this year’s November election, voters once again said “no” to school vouchers in ballot initiatives across three different states. The results send a clear message: Americans do not want taxpayer dollars to fund private schools, including religious schools, especially not at the expense of public school funding.
New book from BJC’s Amanda Tyler offers concrete solutions to generational problem of Christian nationalism

New book from BJC’s Amanda Tyler offers concrete solutions to generational problem of Christian nationalism

A new book from BJC Executive Director Amanda Tyler tackles the gravest threat to religious liberty in the United States -- Christian nationalism -- and explains what can be done about it.
Oklahoma's regulations leave little choice but to purchase specific Trump-endorsed Bible for public schools

Oklahoma’s regulations leave little choice but to purchase specific Trump-endorsed Bible for public schools

The Bibles-in-classrooms directive already raises significant church-state issues, and now Oklahoma's request for bids to satisfy the requirement is so specific that it seems to leave only one option for which Bible the state can purchase: the controversial “God Bless the USA Bible” recently promoted by former President Donald Trump.
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.
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