First Liberty



Today, First Liberty Institute's Center for Religion, Culture
& Democracy (CRCD) revealed the results of its fourth annual
Religious Liberty in the States (RLS) index, the only comprehensive
comparison of how all 50 states protect religious liberty through law.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced the 2025 RLS at a press
conference at New College in Sarasota, Florida. He was joined by First
Liberty's President Kelly Shackelford and Dr. Mark David Hall,
director of the Religious Liberty in the States project.

Watch Governor DeSantis make today's announcement and learn how
states like Florida are using the RLS index to improve religious
freedom protections for their residents.

WATCH NOW >>
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For the first time, Florida tops the national ranking followed closely
by Montana and Illinois. Florida and Montana have gained momentum
through new conscience protections, religious exemptions, and updated
statutory safeguards.

"Florida holds several #1 rankings, leading the nation in
education, economy, and tourism-and now, Florida is #1 in
religious liberty," said Governor Ron DeSantis. "Religious
liberty is critical to the foundation and function of America, and I
am proud that Florida excels in protecting this right."

"Under the leadership of Governor DeSantis, Florida passed real
laws that protect real people, and now the Sunshine State is the
national leader in protecting religious liberty," said Kelly
Shackelford. "It's time for more states to follow Governor
DeSantis's example and adopt strong religious liberty
laws."

The 2025 index evaluates 47 distinct legal protections, grouped into
20 safeguards, that states can adopt to support religious freedom in
daily life from education and health care to family law and religious
practice. As with previous editions, the index tracks changes over
time and ranks each state based on the percentage of possible
safeguards it has adopted.

"Each state is a laboratory for liberty," said Dr. Mark
David Hall, director of the Religious Liberty in the States project.
"The most successful states are actively innovating to protect
what America's founders called 'the sacred right of
conscience.' These legal safeguards help ensure that people of
all faith can live according to their beliefs."

Visit the index website (www.religiouslibertyinthestates.com) to see
each state's score, rank, and change over time. The website also
has resources for individuals, researchers, and policy makers who are
interested in how their state can improve.
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About First Liberty's Center for Religion, Culture &
Democracy

First Liberty Institute's Center for Religion, Culture &
Democracy (CRCD) supports the creation and promotion of high-quality
scholarship. Our publications, programming, and resources affirm the
importance of religion as a public good for strengthening social bonds
and reinforcing foundational freedoms.

CRCD Website: [link removed]

About Religious Liberty in the States

Religious Liberty in the States (RLS) is a project of the CRCD and
parent organization FLI. RLS is a comprehensive, peer reviewed annual
measure of laws and constitutional safeguards for religious exercise
in the 50 states.

RLS Index Website: [link removed]



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First Liberty Institute