Federal guidance on religious liberty reflects church autonomy, parental rights rulings

The Department of Justice (DOJ) sent a memorandum to federal departments and agencies with updated guidance on religious liberty and parental rights protections, based on recent U.S. Supreme Court precedent.

The update, issued July 23, is the first revision to the guidance since 2017. It incorporates Supreme Court rulings issued after the earlier guidance, including rulings on church autonomy, equal access for religious entities to grants and government programs, and the right for parents to direct the religious upbringing of their children.

“Religious liberty is not merely a right to personal religious beliefs or even to worship in a particular place,” the memorandum, sent by the attorney general’s office, states. “It also encompasses religious observance and practice as displayed in a person’s daily life.”

“Except in the narrowest circumstances, no one should be forced to choose between living out his or her faith and complying with the law,” it says. “Therefore, to the greatest extent practicable and permitted by law, religious observance and practice should be reasonably accommodated.”

The guidance expands the DOJ interpretation of church autonomy for hiring and firing…