Religious Liberty

Religious liberty is a cornerstone of our nation and is the very first freedom guaranteed to Americans by the Bill of Rights. Yet on many college and university campuses, the right to associate on the basis of religious belief and even the right to express those beliefs is under attack. Under the guise of "nondiscrimination" policies, religious groups are often told that they may not choose the membership or leadership of their groups using religious criteria. Other students who merely express religious beliefs in public are condemned for "hate speech" or "intolerance." FIRE's public cases dealing with religious liberty, listed below, display our commitment to defending America's religious pluralism by protecting students' rights to express their views and to associate around shared beliefs.

• Download and order FIRE's Guide to Religious Liberty on Campus.

Key Cases

• Brown University: Wrongful Suspension of Religious Student Group
• Indian River Community College: Ban on ‘The Passion of the Christ’ and Repression of Free Speech
• Johns Hopkins University: Viewpoint-Based Rejection of Pro-Life Group
• Louisiana State University: Threat to Muslim Group's Freedom of Association
• Pennsylvania State University: Charges of ‘Discrimination’ Due to Religious Language in Club Constitution
• Princeton University: Refusal to Recognize Religious Group
• Rutgers University: Refusal to Allow Christian Clubs to Require Christian Leadership
• Southern Illinois University at Carbondale: Derecognition of Christian Law School Group
• Tufts University: Refusal to Allow Evangelical Christian Club to Require Leaders to Share Group's Beliefs
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Investigation of Christian Student Group for Belief-Based Dismissal of Member
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Refusal to Allow Christian Clubs to Require Christian Leadership
• University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire: Ban on RAs’ Leading Bible Studies
• University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire: Unconstitutional Student Fee Funding Amendment
• Vanderbilt University: Refusal to Approve Constitutions of Student Groups that Require Leaders to Share Beliefs

List All Cases