General
2026 Religious Liberty Annual Report
This report summarizes developments in religious liberty at the federal or national level here in the United States in 2025. In the final section, it identifies six areas of critical concern—three challenges and three opportunities—for religious liberty in the coming year, with recommended actions that readers can take in response to each issue.
Legislative activity of the 119th Congress focused on passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which included the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit, a provision that improves parental choice in education but did not include religious liberty protections. Congress introduced other legislation the Committee for Religious Liberty supports, including the Conscience Protection Act, the Equal Campus Access Act, and the FACE Act Repeal Act. The chairman of the Committee for Religious Liberty also wrote to Congress in support of increased funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program.
The new administration undertook a number of actions that implicate religious freedom, both positively and negatively. The Trump administration took immediate steps to combat gender ideology, which has corroded religious liberty in recent years. The President directed agencies to repeal regulatory provisions that are unlawful in light of recent decisions of the United States Supreme Court, including Carson v. Makin. President Trump also established a Religious Liberty Commission, which include several bishops as members and advisors. The Department of Homeland Security rescinded guidance that required that, absent exigent circumstances, immigration officers needed approval from their Agency’s headquarters before carrying out enforcement activities in or near protected areas, such as hospitals, schools, and churches.
It was an active year for religious liberty before the Supreme Court. The Court issued rulings in cases squarely addressing religious liberty issues, with victories in Catholic Charities Bureau, Inc. v. Wisconsin Labor & Industry Commission and Mahmoud v. Taylor, and a split decision in Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board v. Drummond. In U.S. v. Skrmetti, the Court declined to hold that people identifying as transgender are a protected class under the Equal Protection Clause—a result that would have had disastrous consequences for religious exercise. The Court will also soon consider taking an important case about the constitutional protection for church autonomy in O’Connell v. U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
The role of religion in American public life was a significant subject of debate in 2025. Catholic services were attacked by media figures and political leaders. The Trump administration took steps to support controversial expressions of Christianity in the public sphere. There was an alarming rise in political violence, as the polarization that has long been the subject of commentary by religious leaders appears to be devolving into a cycle of attack and retribution.
The six areas of critical concern—threats and opportunities—for religious liberty in 2026 are:
- Political and anti-religious violence
- Unjust terms and conditions on federal grants, and unreliability of government
- Access to sacraments for ICE detainees and immigration enforcement at houses of worship
- School choice and the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit
- Repeal of provisions that prevent religious organizations from participating in government programs
- Further repudiation of gender ideology