The Trump administration’s Religious Liberty Commission has recently come under fire as an interfaith coalition filed a legal case challenging its operations. The lawsuit, initiated by groups including The Interfaith Alliance and Muslims for Progressive Values, accuses the commission of exhibiting a Christian-centric bias.
This legal dispute arose in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York with several plaintiffs, such as the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund and Hindus for Human Rights. The key defendants listed are President Donald Trump, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and others associated with the Religious Liberty Commission.
Central to the lawsuit is the claim that the commission supposedly prioritizes a “Judeo-Christian” perspective, though it purports to advocate for religious freedom for all. Allegations include advocating for policies that may discriminate against minority religious groups under the guise of religious liberty. Moreover, the complaint criticizes the commission for its lack of transparency, citing its failure to release transcripts and agendas that would enable public understanding of its proceedings.
According to the plaintiffs, the commission’s composition almost exclusively includes Christians, with a singular Orthodox Jewish Rabbi, promoting the idea that America’s foundations are inherently Judeo-Christian. This purportedly clashes with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, which seeks to prevent advisory committees from being unduly secretive or biased.
While a spokesperson from the Department of Justice defended the commission, emphasizing its role in providing a platform for diverse religious testimonies and recommendations, critics remain vocal. Rachel Laser from the Americans United for Separation of Church and State stated, “The commission’s true purpose and operations can’t be squared with America’s constitutional promise of church-state separation.”
Established in May through an executive order, the commission was designed to comprise 14 members from various societal sectors. Its charter includes advising on religious liberty policies and recommending steps for securing domestic religious freedom.
The commission’s inaugural meeting took place last June at Washington D.C.’s Museum of the Bible, with notable figures like Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Dr. Ben Carson participating. The commission has since convened multiple times, including a recent session addressing antisemitism and religious liberty in the private sector.
As the lawsuit progresses, the interfaith coalition continues to challenge the commission’s alignment with broader American constitutional principles and its operational transparency.
This article was originally written by www.christianpost.com
