Press Statement
For Immediate Release: 5.1.25
Contact: John Manning, media@firstliberty.org
Direct: 972-941-4453
First Liberty Institute’s Kelly Shackelford Appointed to President Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission
Commission will issue report on religious liberty in America, President announces at White House ceremony.
Washington, DC—Today, at a White House ceremony celebrating the National Day of Prayer, President Donald Trump signed an executive order creating the President’s Religious Liberty Commission, and appointed Kelly Shackelford, President, CEO, and Chief Counsel to First Liberty as a member of the Commission.
Shackelford, who participated in today’s White House ceremony said of the appointment, “I am incredibly honored to be selected to join such a prestigious group of leaders on the Commission in President Trump’s effort to protect religious liberty in our nation. For too long, government officials have been hostile to expressions of faith despite First Liberty’s numerous victories at the Supreme Court. It will be a privilege to do everything we can to protect religious liberty and restore our First Freedom for all Americans.”
The Commission will be led by Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick and former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Dr. Ben Carson.
According to the EO, the Commission will “produce a comprehensive report on the foundations of religious liberty in America, the impact of religious liberty on American society, current threats to domestic religious liberty, strategies to preserve and enhance religious liberty protections for future generations and programs to increase awareness of and celebrate America’s peaceful religious pluralism.”
The report is due on or before July 4, 2026—a fitting way to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the birth of our nation, and to ensure we protect Americans’ religious freedoms for the next 250 years.
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About First Liberty Institute
First Liberty Institute is the largest legal organization in the nation dedicated exclusively to defending religious freedom for all Americans.
To arrange an interview, contact John Manning at media@firstliberty.org or by calling 972-941-4453.
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