Religious liberty is under fire all across America—from school choice and parental rights, to public prayer and conscience protections. These are the ongoing battles over your rights to believe, speak, gather, and raise your family in faith.
President Trump has established the Religious Liberty Commission to look at the current threats and hostilities to religious freedom and to make recommendations to secure it for generations to come.
Watch real stories from our clients and attorneys straight from the frontlines of the fight to protect your First Freedom.
President Trump invited 12-year-old Shea Encinas from Southern California to share his story.
When Shea was in fifth grade, his elementary school forced him to read the book My Shadow is Pink with his kindergarten buddy—a book about radical transgender ideology that conflicted with his deeply held religious beliefs.
The Commission heard testimony from our client Valerie Cleveringa, an elementary student from Michigan.
Valerie shared how she and her brother were told they couldn’t sing songs by Christian artists Brandon Lake and Colton Dixon for their school talent show because they were too religious.
President Trump introduced our client Hannah Allen of Honey Grove, Texas, who was told by school officials that she could not pray with her classmates and would have to “move behind a curtain or meet alone outside.”
After winning back her right to pray, Hannah had an opportunity to share her story at the White House during the first Trump administration.
The Commission heard from Coach Joe Kennedy, whose victory at the U.S. Supreme Court in 2022 set a historic precedent protecting religious expression for teachers, coaches and public employees nationwide.
Coach Kennedy recounted his personal struggle after the school fired him for taking a knee to pray on the 50-yard line after each football game. He shared about the toll that this legal battle took on him and his family.
Connecticut schoolteacher Marisol Castro testified about the discrimination she’s facing because she displayed a small crucifix in her personal space near her desk. After more than 30 years of exemplary service, the New Britain School District is threatening to fire Marisol because she didn’t remove the cross from her workspace.
She was first suspended without pay, then placed on administrative leave, and reassigned to a non-teaching role.
First Liberty President, CEO and Chief Counsel Kelly Shackelford joins the first meeting of the Religious Liberty Commission and explains why protecting religious freedom is so important.
He goes on to share the purpose of the Commission and why it is so essential to defending our rights.
First Liberty Senior Counsel Jeremy Dys testified as an expert witness, urging the Commission to act and hold school districts accountable to respect students of faith.
“As heard in the testimonies from current and former clients, religious liberty is currently under attack from those who ignore the protections guaranteed in the First Amendment,” Dys said. “We trust that the recommendations made today will reach judges and elected officials who are sworn to uphold and protect the U.S. Constitution.”
Brave Americans like Coach Kennedy, Marisol-Castro and Shea Encinas have proven their courage by standing up for their faith when it was anything but easy.
First Liberty is first in the fight to defend their religious freedom—but we need you on our side.
Will you give generously today, so we can be first in the fight together?
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