Religion & Law

An important question for both religious-freedom law and civil society is whether religious organizations can receive funding to provide social services without having to compromise their religious character in doing so.  The Bush Justice Department issued an opinion concluding that organizations receiving government funding could invoke the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) to challenge funding conditions that conflicted with their religious tenets or identity.  Now the Obama DOJ has proposed reversing that interpretation. In this memorandum letter, religious-liberty expert Doug Laycock, in his typical incisive way, explains why RFRA should be held to protect the organization.