Dear AU Supporter,
2025 has already been a year of extraordinary challenges. All over the country, religious extremists and their lawmaker allies are weaponizing religion to force their beliefs on others by attacking our rights and undermining the church-state separation that protects everyone’s freedom to live as themselves and believe as they choose. But nowhere has the fight for true religious freedom been more stark than at the U.S. Supreme Court, where this term the docket was a direct threat to church-state separation.
AU prepared carefully for this moment. With more lawyers and policy experts on staff than ever, we’re scrutinizing every new rule and executive order to determine which are most vulnerable in court. And we’re taking on pivotal cases brought by Shadow Network-funded law firms and other organizations designed expressly to appeal to the Supreme Court’s ultra-conservative majority.
Because our work is only possible thanks to supporters like you, we wanted to share a recap of what we saw this season at the Supreme Court – and what comes next.
— In St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School v. Drummond, a major case about the future of public education, the court deadlocked 4-4, allowing a lower court ruling to stand that blocks the nation’s first religious public charter school in Oklahoma. While this split decision is a win for now for church-state separation – and a win for AU and our allies in the similar lawsuit we filed challenging this school – it’s also a warning: at least four justices appear ready to abandon the core principle that public schools are not Sunday schools – and that public funds belong in public schools. Christian Nationalists are reframing religious freedom as religious favoritism, and AU is fighting to stop that distortion from becoming law.
— In Catholic Charities v. Wisconsin, the Supreme Court ruled that some religiously affiliated groups might be exempt from state unemployment taxes. The decision reaffirmed that the government can’t favor one religion over another – a win for church-state separation. But, it also made it harder to decide which groups count as religious under the law, opening the door for more organizations to claim religious exemptions. Christian Nationalist groups are already using the ruling to challenge laws that protect workers and access to healthcare, and AU is ready to push back.
— In United States v. Skrmetti, the ultra-conservative majority upheld Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors, allowing Christian Nationalists to impose their narrow and discriminatory view of gender on our laws. This ruling won’t just hurt trans youth – it threatens LGBTQ+ equality, religious freedom, and church-state separation. But it is a challenge that AU will meet head-on through continued advocacy and public education.
— In Mahmoud v. Taylor, the court once again sided with Christian Nationalists, allowing a small group of parents with anti-LGBTQ+ religious beliefs to dictate public school curricula. This dangerous precedent undermines inclusive education and threatens our pluralistic democracy by refusing to allow public schools to teach all of our children how to respect each other across our many differences. Instead of accommodating all beliefs, schools may now feel pressured to censor diverse perspectives altogether, which is the very outcome that extremists intended. AU, alongside 11 allied organizations, urged the court to affirm that teaching about LGBTQ+ people is not a violation of religious freedom. We’ll continue to fight to ensure public schools serve everyone, not just a vocal few.
We knew this term could reshape decades of precedent, and we ensured that the justices and the public heard our – and the combination of our religious and nonreligious allies’ – voices. Americans United knows the fight to protect church-state separation doesn’t begin or end at the Supreme Court. We’re active in courtrooms, state legislatures, school boards, and communities across the country, challenging religious extremism wherever it appears.
Whether it’s filing lawsuits, tracking harmful bills, shaping the story in the media, mobilizing grassroots supporters, or amplifying the voices of impacted communities, we will continue to fight on every front. Because our rights – and our democracy – depend on it.
With resolve and determination,
Rachel K. Laser
President & CEO
P.S. Don’t miss our upcoming webinar, “Beyond the Bench: Faith, Freedom & the Supreme Court,” on July 10th, 2025, at 7:30 PM E.T. Join us virtually for an in-depth conversation with legal and policy experts on what this Supreme Court term means for our rights, what trends we’re seeing, and how Americans United and our allies are pushing back. RSVP now to reserve your spot: [link removed]
Donate: [link removed]
Copyright © 2025
Americans United for Separation of Church and State
All rights reserved.
1310 L St. NW, Ste. 200
Washington, DC xxxxxx
Donate: [link removed]
We cannot respond to all replies we receive. Please click here to contact AU: [link removed]
Privacy policy: www.au.org/privacy-policy/
Update your info: www.au.org/about-au/contact/update-your-information/
unsubscribe: [link removed]
