Religious Liberty

The right to practice religion, or no religion at all, is among the most fundamental of the freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. It is sometimes wrongly imagined that the ACLU does not vigorously protect rights of freedom to exercise religion, particularly of Christians. In fact, the ACLU defends both the right against governmental establishment of religion and the right to freely practice one’s religion without governmental interference. These rights operate hand in hand, and together ensure that freedom of belief (and non-belief) can flourish.

Religious Liberty

The right to practice religion, or no religion at all, is among the most fundamental of the freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. It is sometimes wrongly imagined that the ACLU does not vigorously protect rights of freedom to exercise religion, particularly of Christians. In fact, the ACLU defends both the right against governmental establishment of religion and the right to freely practice one’s religion without governmental interference. These rights operate hand in hand, and together ensure that freedom of belief (and non-belief) can flourish.

The Latest

Press Release
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D.C. Department of Corrections Stops Denying Kosher Meals to Jewish Residents of the D.C. Jail

The D.C. Department of Corrections has revised its religious diet policy in response to a lawsuit brought by the ACLU of the District of Columbia on behalf of Riley Benjamin, a Jewish resident.
Press Release
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ACLU-D.C. Files Religious Freedom Lawsuit Against the D.C. Department of Corrections

ACLU-D.C. sues D.C. Department of Correction, challenging the denial of kosher meals to Jewish inmates without external faith verification, violating religious rights.
Know Your Rights
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What to Do When Encountering Law Enforcement at Airports

Know Your Rights
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What to Do When Faced with Anti-Muslim Discrimination

Court Case
Aug 10, 2023

Benjamin v. Colbert – Challenging D.C. Jail’s Failure to Provide Religious Dietary Accommodations

The lawsuit, filed as a class action, primarily seeks a court order to prohibit DOC officials from imposing requirements on Jewish people in their custody to provide external verification of their religion as a condition for approving their kosher meal requests.
Court Case
Apr 06, 2021

Chebli v. Kable – Arab-American put on No-Fly List for refusing to become FBI informant

The ACLU. ACLU-DC, and ACLU-MI filed a lawsuit in federal court on behalf of Ahmad Chebli, a Michigan father of two who the U.S. government wrongly placed on the No-Fly List over two years ago, after he refused to become an FBI informant.
Court Case
Oct 13, 2017

J.D. v. Azar (formerly Garza v. Azar and Garza v. Hargan) - Challenging Trump Administration’s Refusal to Permit Teenage Immigration Detainees to Access Abortion Services

Court Case
Feb 10, 2016

ACLU v. Department of Homeland Security (Countering Violent Extremism FOIA)