Overview
- The Religious Liberty Commission, which met Monday at Washington’s Museum of the Bible for its final public hearing, featured Chair Dan Patrick calling church–state separation “the biggest lie” since the nation’s founding.
- Patrick said the panel will send recommendations to President Trump in May, and the commission created by executive order is set to expire July 4 unless extended, with a comprehensive report due by the end of its term.
- Americans United and Democracy Forward have sued over the panel’s makeup and transparency, alleging it violates federal advisory rules and lacks diversity, and they have asked a court to block publication of any report.
- Membership includes figures such as Paula White, Ben Carson, Bishop Robert Barron, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, and Franklin Graham, and critics say the lineup advances Christian nationalist goals rather than neutral protections for all faiths.
- Patrick also floated a requirement for schools, universities, and businesses to post notices on religious rights, a push that comes as debates rage over Ten Commandments classroom displays and school policies tied to religion in several states.