William C. Duncan

Putting aside pedantic quibbles with the lyrics, the key insight is the importance of checks and balances. That important feature of government could become a key to protecting religious freedom after the 2020 election.

The ruling may offer the justices the chance to settle some of these important questions about the prerogatives of state and local government when dealing with religious organizations, the potential coexistence of the principles of nondiscrimination and religious freedom, and…

Equality and nondiscrimination in America are ideas that should be inclusive enough to accommodate, rather than exclude, religious Americans and their institutions.

“The Supreme Court needs to answer these fundamental questions soon. If it does, it should make clear that governments can’t single out churches for disfavored treatment – even during a pandemic.”

A common (and incorrect) stereotype is that religion treats women as subservient to men. Both contemporary and historical evidence show otherwise, however.

The decisions to protect the convictions of people of faith have clearly resulted in important precedents that protect a wide range of other interests and personal freedoms. Protecting religious freedom results in protecting other individual rights essential to all Americans.

The principle of precedent helps explain why Supreme Court justices are so important and the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett is so significant.

Barrett’s appreciation for our national tradition of religious tolerance will be an important part of her expected service on the Supreme Court – particularly because the court has been an increasingly important arbiter of religious freedom disputes in recent years.