224-Page Draft Report Calls for Stronger Religious Freedom Protections, Constitutional Clarification, Policy Reforms, and Expanded Federal Safeguards Across the United States
The Justice Department’s Religious Liberty Commission presented its final draft report to President Donald Trump on June 26, outlining a series of recommendations aimed at strengthening religious freedom protections across the United States.
The 224-page draft report urges the Justice Department to issue guidance clarifying the proper interpretation of the Establishment Clause, a provision of the First Amendment that prohibits the government from establishing an official religion and defines the separation of church and state.
“The truth is that the phrase ‘wall of separation between church and state’ appears neither in the First Amendment nor anywhere else in the Constitution,” the report stated.
“What the First Amendment does say is that ‘Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.’ In practical terms, that means the government may not take over the functions of a church or coerce religious observance.”
The report also recommends establishing a religious liberty task force, distributing “Know Your Rights” posters, and creating a hotline or online portal for students, parents, teachers, and health care workers to report alleged violations of religious liberty.
In addition, it calls on the government to repeal the Johnson Amendment, a provision of the Internal Revenue Code that bars religious institutions and other tax-exempt organizations from endorsing or opposing political candidates.
According to the Religious Liberty Commission, testimony from religious leaders indicated that the Johnson Amendment has had a “chilling effect” on their ability to provide religious guidance to their communities.
“In many cases the law protects the religious expression of Americans, but government officials and employers often use fear tactics to silence individuals into believing that they don’t have the right to publicly express their faith,” the Justice Department said in a statement announcing the draft report.
The report further recommends ensuring that faith-based institutions have “an equal opportunity” to participate in government funding programs without being required to renounce their religious identity.
It also calls for stronger efforts to combat anti-Semitism through the enforcement of civil rights laws and recommends requiring public officials to provide employees accused of improper religious expression with a written explanation of the alleged violation within 30 days.
Among its additional proposals, the report suggests creating a Presidential Medal of Religious Liberty and First Freedom Hero Awards to recognize Americans who defend religious freedom and help protect constitutional rights.
The draft report will be open for public comment for 15 days.
“We will closely study this report that is being presented to me as president today,” Trump said during a press conference in the Oval Office, adding that his administration would continue working to protect “religious liberty for all Americans.”
The Justice Department said the report’s findings are based on hearings conducted by the commission over the past year, during which more than 100 witnesses from diverse age groups, faiths, and backgrounds testified. Many said they had experienced religious persecution in the United States.
Trump established the Religious Liberty Commission through an executive order signed in May 2025. The commission includes representatives from the private sector, employers, educational institutions, religious communities, and state governments, and serves in an advisory role to the federal government on strengthening religious liberty protections.
