Religious Freedom Restoration
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| Senator Orrin Hatch This decision shows the Court's blindness to a pervasive trend in society, which does not just discriminate against, but is expunging, religion. The Court appears to have left some doors open, but we will search all options open to us, and we'll work to ensure that the promises of the freedom to worship God according to the dictates of our own conscience, a founding principle of this nation, are real and realized for today and tomorrow's citizens. If we think we can do it statutorily, naturally we'd prefer to do that. It would be easier to do. On the other hand, if it takes a constitutional amendment and that's the final conclusion, we're going to have one out as quickly as we can, and we'll push it as hard as we can. |
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| Representative Charles Canady
I believe that it is incumbent upon the Congress to examine this opinion and to move forward with a response. We cannot let this decision simply stand unanswered. The freedom that is threatened by this decision is too important to all Americans for us to stand idly by while this goes forward. |
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| Representative Charles Schumer
This morning, the Supreme Court turned its back on America's proud history of religious freedom. This afternoon, we stand here to begin work on restoring it. Just as we put aside our many political and religious differences to pass RFRA, now we will join together again. We will not rest until every citizen can depend on America's guarantee of religious freedom once more. Sadly, with this ruling, citizens will be forced to choose between their government and their God. |
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| Senator Edward Kennedy Freedom of religion is the first right protected by the Bill of Rights, even before freedom of speech or freedom of the press. And it prohibits the government from interfering with the free exercise of religion. The founders of this country fled persecution in their native lands in search of this freedom. The Religious Freedom Restoration Act was intended by Congress to protect that freedom. It was supported by a broad coalition of over 50 religious and civil liberties organizations, and it had the strong support of the attorney general, President Clinton and the public. We cannot take this "no" from the Supreme Court as the final answer. Federal, state and local governments should not have the power to ride roughshod over religion. I intend to work with Senator Hatch and with our other colleagues in the Congress and with constitutional scholars to develop new legislation to meet the Court's objections. Today"s decision cannot be the final word on this eminent issue of religious freedom in modern American life. |
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| Oliver Thomas, special counsel to the
National Council of Churches This is the most important church/state case ever because it will affect every single religious individual and religious organization in the country. |
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| Mark Stern, American Jewish Congress
It means, for example, that a city or a town could pass a law saying that no non-residential or non-business use will be permitted, and that would exclude totally churches, synagogues, or mosques. |
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| Prof. Michael McConnell, University of
Utah Law School This means that religious individuals and religious institutions have no protection against the actions of state and local government unless those actions were specifically directed at religion or motivated by hostility toward religion. |
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| Ira Glasser, executive director, A.C.L.U.
Decisions are sometimes greeted by such criticism that it forces the Court to rethink what it did. It could happen here. The Justices need to think about how they have exposed people for doing nothing more than exercise their religious rights. |
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