The Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993,Pub. L. No. 103-141,107 Stat. 1488,codified at 42 U.S.C. § 2000bb through 42 U.S.C. § 2000bb-4,is a 1993 United States federal law that "ensures that interests in religious freedom are protected." The bill was introduced by Congressman Chuck Schumer (D–NY) on March 11,1993. A companion bill was introduced in the Senate by Ted Kennedy (D-MA) the same day. A unanimous U.S. House and a nearly unanimous U.S. Senate—three senators voted against passage—passed the bill,and President Bill Clinton signed it into law.
The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF),formerly the Alliance Defense Fund,is an American conservative Christian legal advocacy group that works to expand Christian religious liberties and practices within public schools and in government,outlaw abortion,and oppose LGBTQ rights. ADF is headquartered in Scottsdale,Arizona,with branch offices in several locations including Washington,D.C.,and New York. Its international subsidiary,Alliance Defending Freedom International,with headquarters in Vienna,Austria,operates in over 100 countries.
Hobby Lobby Stores,Inc.,formerly Hobby Lobby Creative Centers,is an American retail company. It owns a chain of arts and crafts stores with a volume of over $5 billion in 2018. The chain has 1,001 stores in 48 U.S. states. The Green family founded Hobby Lobby to express their evangelical Protestant beliefs and the chain incorporates American conservative values and Christian media.
Country of Particular Concern (CPC) is a designation by the United States Secretary of State of a country responsible for particularly severe violations of religious freedom under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) of 1998 and its amendment of 1999. The term "particularly severe violations of religious freedom" means systematic,ongoing,egregious violations of religious freedom,including violations such as:
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is a U.S. federal government commission created by the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) of 1998. USCIRF Commissioners are appointed by the President and the leadership of both political parties in the Senate and the House of Representatives. USCIRF's principal responsibilities are to review the facts and circumstances of violations of religious freedom internationally and to make policy recommendations to the President,the Secretary of State,and the Congress.
Becket,also known as the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty,is a non-profit public interest law firm based in Washington,D.C.,that describes its mission as "defending the freedom of religion of people of all faiths". Becket promotes accommodationism and is active in the judicial system,the media,and in education.
Sylvia Mary Burwell is an American government and non-profit executive who was the 15th president of American University from June 1,2017 to June 30,2024. Burwell is the first woman to serve as the university's president. Burwell earlier served as the 22nd United States Secretary of Health and Human Services. President Barack Obama nominated Burwell on April 11,2014. Burwell's nomination was confirmed by the Senate on June 5,2014,by a vote of 78–17. She served as Secretary until the end of the Obama administration. Previously,she had been the Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget from 2013 to 2014.
Timothy Michael Tymkovich is an American lawyer who has served as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit since 2003;serving as chief judge from 2015 to 2022. In November 2023,he was designated by Chief Justice John Roberts to serve as a judge of the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review.
Nury Turkel is an American attorney,author,public official,and foreign policy expert based in Washington,D.C.. He is a former chair of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom,and former president of the Uyghur American Association.
Kevin J. "Seamus" Hasson is Founder and President Emeritus of The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty,a non-profit,public interest law firm that represents persons of all faiths. The Becket Fund is well known for successfully representing the Little Sisters of the Poor in the U.S. Supreme Court. The firm also successfully represented Hobby Lobby in Hobby Lobby v. Burwell,in which the Supreme Court held that protections under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act applied to closely held corporations. The Becket Fund also secured a victory in EEOC v. Hosanna Tabor,which the Wall Street Journal called one of "the most important religious liberty cases in half a century."
The Supreme Court Historical Society (SCHS) describes itself as "a Washington,D.C.–based private,nonpartisan,not for profit 501(c)(3) membership organization dedicated to preserving and communicating the history of the U.S. Supreme Court,increasing public awareness of the Court’s contribution to our nation’s rich constitutional heritage,and acquiring knowledge covering the history of the entire Judicial Branch."
A contraceptive mandate is a government regulation or law that requires health insurers,or employers that provide their employees with health insurance,to cover some contraceptive costs in their health insurance plans.
State Religious Freedom Restoration Acts are state laws based on the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA),a federal law that was passed almost unanimously by the U.S. Congress in 1993 and signed into law by President Bill Clinton. The laws mandate that religious liberty of individuals can only be limited by the "least restrictive means of furthering a compelling government interest". Originally,the federal law was intended to apply to federal,state,and local governments. In 1997,the U.S. Supreme Court in City of Boerne v. Flores held that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act only applies to the federal government but not states and other local municipalities within them. As a result,21 states have passed their own RFRAs that apply to their individual state and local governments.
Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores,Inc.,573 U.S. 682 (2014),is a landmark decision in United States corporate law by the United States Supreme Court allowing privately held for-profit corporations to be exempt from a regulation that its owners religiously object to,if there is a less restrictive means of furthering the law's interest,according to the provisions of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993. It is the first time that the Court has recognized a for-profit corporation's claim of religious belief,but it is limited to privately held corporations. The decision does not address whether such corporations are protected by the free exercise of religion clause of the First Amendment of the Constitution.
Hannah Clayson Smith is an American attorney with the firm Schaerr Jaffe. Smith is a senior fellow at the International Center for Law and Religion Studies at Brigham Young University (BYU) and a member of the Board of Directors of the Religious Freedom Institute.
Zubik v. Burwell,578 U.S. 403 (2016),was a case before the United States Supreme Court on whether religious institutions other than churches should be exempt from the contraceptive mandate,a regulation adopted by the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that requires non-church employers to cover certain contraceptives for their female employees. Churches are already exempt under those regulations. On May 16,2016,the Supreme Court vacated the Court of Appeals ruling in Zubik v. Burwell and the six cases it had consolidated under that title and returned them to their respective courts of appeals for reconsideration.
The Oversight Board is a body that makes consequential precedent-setting content moderation decisions on the social media platforms Facebook and Instagram,in a form of "platform self-governance".
Little Sisters of the Poor Saints Peter and Paul Home v. Pennsylvania,591 U.S. ___ (2020),was a United States Supreme Court case involving ongoing conflicts between the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) over the ACA's contraceptive mandate. The ACA exempts nonprofit religious organizations from complying with the mandate,to which for-profit religious organizations objected.
Evelyn Mary Aswad is an American legal scholar and the Herman G. Kaiser Chair in International Law at the University of Oklahoma College of Law,and was previously an official in the United States Department of State. As of 2021,she serves as a member of Facebook's independent Oversight Board.
Yi-Ning Katherine Chen is a Taiwanese professor and former national communications regulator who teaches public relations and statistics at National Chengchi University. As of 2021,she serves as a member of Facebook's independent Oversight Board.
