Trump administration’s religious freedom announcements square with Constitution, Supreme Court precedent Government is not permitted to treat people of faith as second-class citizens. But for far too long public schools and many other government institutions have willfully curtailed religious actions by private individuals in government buildings and grounds. President Trump ’s package of religious freedom announcements on Thursday is extremely encouraging, not just to people of faith but to any American who believes that all branches of government should always follow the law. The Trump administration’s actions are based squarely on U.S. Supreme Court precedent and do not represent an effort to make new law. Rather, the president is using the lawful power of his office to ensure that public schools, state governments, and federal agencies all obey the clearly established standards of the Free Exercise and Free Speech clauses of the First Amendment. Many school officials and other government operatives appear to believe that the only relevant provision in the First Amendment is the Establishment Clause, which has been reduced to the misleading slogan of “separation of church and state.” The Establishment Clause does not prohibit students or other private individuals from living out their faith or engaging […]
