Religious Freedom Wins in Mississippi

In a victory for religious freedom, last week Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant (R) signed into law the state’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

The Mississippi law is based on the 1993 federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), which was sponsored by then-Rep. Chuck Schumer (D–N.Y.), and the late Senator Edward Kennedy (D–Mass.). Passed by an overwhelming majority in the Senate and unanimously in the House, RFRA was signed into law by then-President Bill Clinton. This federal law prohibits substantial government burdens on religious exercise unless the government can show a compelling interest in burdening religious liberty and does so through the least restrictive means.