Judging from my Twitter — I refuse to call it — feed, the talking points memo has gone out: the left must attack Riley Gaines Barker, the former University of Kentucky swimmer who is now a vocal advocate for protecting women’s sports from men males who think they’re somehow women. It’s no surprise to me that the very lovely Amanda Marcotte had to join in; hat tip to Carol Marks of The Victory Girls for pointing out this article.
We’re thrilled to announce the launch of the 2025 Religious Liberty in the States (RLS) index!
Each year, First Liberty’s Center for Religion, Culture and Democracy (CRCD) publishes a nationwide index of domestic religious freedom. It ranks religious liberty protections for each of the 50 states. RLS focuses on select legal safeguards of religious exercise in state laws and constitutions.
[Earlier this month], the CRCD team unveiled the results at a special First Liberty event in Florida alongside Gov.… Continue Reading
Before 1954, pastors, priests and rabbis could openly endorse political parties or candidates.
Then came the Johnson Amendment, named for Lyndon Baines Johnson, then an U.S. Senator from Texas who tweaked the IRS code. Suddenly, tax-exempt nonprofits were barred from “participating or intervening in any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office.” The “opposition to” phrase was added in 1986.
A ruthless political strategist before and during his presidency, Johnson engineered this coup after two Texas nonprofit groups had supported his Senate primary opponent.… Continue Reading
Corporate America appears to be moving away from Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policies, which could be good news for religious employees in the workplace.
Forbes recently reported that use of the acronym DEI in Fortune 100 company reports showed “the steepest decline between 2024 and 2025, decreasing by 98%, while each individual term also declined significantly: Mentions of “diversity” dropped 62%, “equity” decreased 48% and “inclusion” declined 43%.”
Words explicitly referring to diversity, including DEI, “declined 72% overall between 2024 and 2025,” according to a recent study from Gravity Research, a firm that studies how companies manage their reputations and respond to social pressures.… Continue Reading
Religious Liberty | David E. Smith | June 24, 2025 8:00 AM | Comments Off on Companies Are Rolling Back on DEI, But Religious Discrimination Remains a Serious Problem
In this special episode of Illinois Family Spotlight podcast, Dave Smith sits down with IFI’s Senior Counsel, James Odom, to discuss the legal implications of the Homeschool Registration Act (HB 2827).
Their conversation focuses on Illinois State Rep. Terra Costa Howard’s claim that HB 2827 is intended to protect children through forcing homeschooling families register with their local regional office of education.
Smith notes that homeschooling families are thriving socially, academically, and spiritually far above their peers in the public school system.… Continue Reading
In this episode of the Illinois Family Spotlight podcast, Monte Larrick is joined by Attorney Will Estrada who highlights the dangers associated with HB 2827, the ominous “The Homeschool Act.”
Will Estrada works as Senior Council to HSLDA (Home School Legal Defense Association) and is himself a homeschool graduate along with his wife.
“One of the arguments that we’ve seen from the sponsors of HB2827 is that homeschooling is unregulated, and that is not true…
There are educational neglect laws on the books in Illinois, so there really is no problem that HB2827 is needed to fix.”
The Homeschool Act, also known as HB 2827, poses a grave danger to all homeschooling families across Illinois.
If passed, this bill would stifle the freedoms of homeschooling families through heavy regulations. If these regulations are not followed, families would face hefty fines and possible jail time.
Illinois Christian Home Educators (ICHE) is an organization that is passionately leading the charge against this dangerous legislation, and Kirk Smith, executive director of ICHE, sits down to discuss the consequences of the bill and how to oppose it.… Continue Reading
This special episode of Illinois Family Spotlight highlights Pastor Douglas Wilson’s remarks given at the 2015 Illinois Family Banquet.
Pastor Douglas Wilson preaches at Christ Church in Moscow, ID, and is senior fellow of theology at New Saint Andrews College. He is a prolific author of many books and his blog, dougwils.com, is home to his witty and rapier thoughts on culture, the church at large, and politics.
In his speech, Pastor Wilson challenges Christians to fight for biblical sanity and morality.… Continue Reading
Shortly after taking the oath of office on Monday [January 20th], President Trump signed a multitude of executive orders repealing the Biden administration’s promotion of radical gender ideology, ending the weaponization of government against religious and pro-life Americans and safeguarding free speech.
First Liberty President & CEO Kelly Shackelford discusses how these actions will help protect people of faith and the free exercise of religion. Watch below:
Five Major Executive Orders That Will Impact Religious Liberty
Religious Liberty | David E. Smith | January 30, 2025 8:00 AM | Comments Off on Pres. Trump Signed Several Executive Orders That Will Benefit Religious Freedom
Religious Liberty | David E. Smith | 
October 30, 2025 6:00 AM | 
Comments Off on The Real Reason They’re Attacking Riley Gaines 
