Friend, will you help Americans United stop religious freedom from being used as a license to endanger public health?

Just before midnight last Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected yet another science-based public health order issued to limit the spread of the deadly coronavirus.

The Tandon v. Newsom case involved a challenge to a California policy that put the exact same limitations on religious and secular in-home gatherings. For the Court’s ultra-conservative majority, that complete parity in treatment was not good enough treatment of religion. 

As Justice Kagan, joined by Justices Sotomayor and Breyer, wrote in her dissent, the Court’s majority “once more commands California ‘to ignore its experts’ scientific findings,’ thus impairing ‘the State’s effort to address a public health emergency.’”

AU has filed six friend-of-the-court briefs with the Supreme Court to oppose requests for religious exemptions from COVID-19 public health orders. That brings our total so far to 50 briefs filed in courts across the country.

What’s more, we are currently tracking nearly 70 high-priority bills meant to tie the hands of governors and local officials nationwide by limiting their ability to include houses of worship in public health orders.

This threat is real and growing: Help us ensure religious freedom is not redefined as religious privilege for some by clicking here to rush a $50 donation to Americans United today.

Long after the coronavirus pandemic has subsided, these state bills granting religious exemptions during future emergencies, disasters and public health crises will continue to undermine church-state separation. So will the harmful opinions of the Supreme Court.

That’s why Americans United helped organize a statement on behalf of a coalition of 27 faith groups making clear that religious freedom must not become a license to endanger public health.

The groups represent Christian, Jewish, Muslim and other faith communities united in their commitment to the fundamental American value of religious freedom. These voices are a crucial element of AU’s advocacy efforts, but we need your help, too.

To sustain our efforts to fight religious privilege, click here to rush a donation to Americans United right away.

From state capitols to federal courtrooms, the COVID-19 pandemic is being misused to undermine religious freedom. Your generous support allows AU to stand firm against those attempts, friend.

Thank you for being with us. We need you!

In solidarity,

Rachel K. Laser
President and CEO