by Jayla Ward & Jorge Gomez • 2 minutes
On Monday, Sept. 29, the President’s Religious Liberty Commission will hold its third hearing. The Commission will continue its focus on religious freedom issues in public education and hear the perspectives of teachers, coaches and families from public and faith-based institutions.
The hearing will be held at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C. The session will be livestreamed at 9 a.m. EDT and is expected to last until 3:30 p.m. EDT. You can watch it on the Dept. of Justice website.
First Liberty President and CEO Kelly Shackelford serves as one of the Commissioners. He represents the only nonprofit religious liberty legal organization of its kind on the Commission.
Monday’s hearing will include:
A Tribute to Charlie Kirk as a Man of Faith
The hearing will open with a tribute panel honoring Charlie Kirk as a man of faith. The Commission will hear from Charlie’s friends and colleagues on his commitment to faith and advocacy for religious liberty as the first freedom.
An Exploration of Religious Liberty in Education: Public School Faculty Perspectives and Faith Leader Perspectives
Senior Counsel Keisha Russell will testify as an expert witness, along with other religious liberty and education experts.
The hearing’s objective will be to understand the historic landscape of religious liberty in the educational setting, recognize threats to religious liberty in education, and identify opportunities to secure religious liberty in this context for the future.
Several First Liberty clients will testify and share their stories:
Similar to the most recent Commission hearing, each will tell their story, share about their legal battle and how their lives were affected by religious discrimination.
Our clients’ testimonies at the Sept. 8 hearing had a huge impact. Commissioners and key national leaders—including President Donald Trump, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and HUD Sec. Scott Turner—were able to hear about First Liberty’s cases, legal victories and the courage shown by our clients to stand up for their rights.
In case you missed it, Kelly Shackelford’s recap of the previous hearing is available below:
With a 30-year legacy of defending religious liberty for all Americans, First Liberty continues to provide institutional support and strategic counsel to the Commission.
Committed to constitutional originalism and backed by landmark legal victories—including nine wins at the U.S. Supreme Court—First Liberty brings a uniquely qualified perspective. Our expertise —combined with the powerful testimony of our clients—is helping shape the Commission’s final report with real-world insights, tested legal strategies and a principled defense of our founding freedoms.
The Commission is expected to hold one more meeting before the end of 2025. On Nov.17, the Commission will consider religious freedom in the military, including the perspectives of servicemembers, chaplains and veterans.
The hearing is set to take place in Dallas. Venue details are yet to be announced. We’ll keep you updated, or you can visit the Dept. of Justice website for more information.
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