First Liberty



Supreme Court Notches Two Key Victories for Religious Freedom,
Protecting Both Religious Organizations & Religious Exemptions

Good things come in pairs!

Today, in sweeping 7-2 decisions, the Supreme Court issued two crucial
victories that preserve the rights of religious Americans like you to
live out your faith without fear of government interference.

The first victory, in Little Sisters of the Poor v. Pennsylvania, et
al., upheld the right of organizations with religious and moral
objections to be exempt from the Affordable Care Act's
controversial Contraceptive Mandate.

This decision confirms the Trump Administration's authority to
declare exemptions for people of faith, and means that the millions of
Americans who have objected to the ACA's Contraceptive Mandate
for reasons of conscience can opt out.

As Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in his majority opinion, "The
plain language of the statute clearly allows Departments to create
religious and moral exemptions."

Today's second big victory, in Our Lady of Guadalupe School v.
Morrissey-Berru, affirms that the First Amendment protects the right
of religious schools and other religious ministries to choose who
performs vital religious duties.

The decision means that courts must stay out of employment decisions
involving teachers of faith at religious schools.

"We applaud the Supreme Court for recognizing that the
Constitution bars the government from interfering in the independent
employment decisions of religious organizations," said Kelly
Shackelford, FLI President, CEO, and Chief Counsel. "There
should no longer be any doubt that religious schools and institutions
have the right to freely choose who will preach their religious
message, teach their religious doctrine and lead our future
generations according to their religious tradition."

Make no mistake, what we're witnessing right now is the "axis of
history" turning in our favor.

Regardless of the conflict that's playing out in the media, we
all need to open our eyes to how God is moving-shifting the
legal landscape and tipping the scales of justice in favor of
religious Americans like you.

However, this is truly just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to
the work that is yet to be done in reclaiming our first freedom and
preserving it for future generations.

We pledge to remain ever vigilant-to continue leading the fight
for your constitutional rights against the growing wave of religious
hostility in our nation.

For more info on today's victories, you can read the press
releases and find out more about the implications of preserving
the independence of religious schools by clicking the links below.

Press Releases:
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Implications of Preserving the Independence of Religious Schools:
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And as always, you can take action and join the fight by donating
today to make sure our expert legal team has the resources needed to
take on more cases that lead to victories like these.

We'll see you on the frontlines!

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