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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 here, and find out more about the implications of preserving the independence of religious schools by clicking here.
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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