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In mid-December, I wrote about the top religion stories of 2024, drawing on a survey conducted by Religion News Association.
This week, I’m highlighting a similar list put together by Howard Friedman, who runs the Religion Clause blog and is widely recognized for his reporting on church-state conflict and the Supreme Court.
Rather than review religion stories in general, Friedman explored the biggest religious freedom news from the past 12 months. He highlighted key legal conflicts that will shape the future of religious liberty in the United States.
Here’s a look at Friedman’s top 10 religious freedom-related developments in 2024 — plus, how I covered some of the events.
10. Dozens of cases brought by employees who were denied religious exemptions to COVID-19 vaccine mandates continued to work their way through the legal system.
9. The Alabama Supreme Court ruled that a wrongful death statute covered frozen embryos, then the state Legislature worked to adjust the law.
8. Indiana appellate courts said that abortion bans violate religious freedom protections.
7. The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled that a religious charter school is unconstitutional.
6. Teachers filed religious freedom lawsuits to fight back against policies requiring them to refer to transgender students by their preferred pronouns.
5. The Supreme Court ruled on FDA approval of abortion-inducing pills and access to emergency abortion care.
4. The issue of religion in public schools roared back to relevance with battles over Bibles in the classroom, school chaplains, Ten Commandments displays and release time programs.
3. Voters in seven states approved abortion rights ballot measures.
2. Multiple states banned gender-related health care for transgender minors.
1. The Department of Education investigated Title VI complaints and Jewish students filed Title VI lawsuits over the protests that took place on college campuses in response to the Israel-Hamas war.
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Peyote is a small cactus that’s native to Mexico and southwestern Texas. It contains psychoactive alkaloids and is used in religious ceremonies and psychedelic “trips,” according to The Associated Press.
That latter purpose threatens the former one. As peyote has become more popular among proponents of psychedelic medicine, it’s becoming less available to the Native Americans who need it for sacred acts.
“For over two decades, Native American practitioners of peyotism, whose numbers in the U.S. are estimated at 400,000, have raised the alarm about lack of access to peyote,” the AP reported.
I’m familiar with peyote in large part because of its role in Employment Division v. Smith, the 1990 Supreme Court decision that shook the religious freedom landscape and ultimately led to the passage of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
The men who brought the case lost their jobs and then were refused unemployment benefits because they used peyote in a religious ritual. They argued that their religious freedom had been violated.
After the Supreme Court ruled against the men, Congress made it clear that Native Americans can use peyote as part of their religious activities.
“Even though it is a controlled substance under federal law, an exemption afforded by a 1994 amendment to the American Indian Religious Freedom Act made it legal for Native Americans to use, possess and transport peyote for traditional religious purposes,” the AP reported.
I was on call this weekend for the Deseret News, so I handled our breaking news coverage of former President Jimmy Carter’s death. I enjoyed learning more about his remarkable political career and revisiting my past research on his faith. Former President Barack Obama highlighted Carter’s relationship with God in his statement on Carter’s legacy.
President-elect Donald Trump filed an unusual Supreme Court brief Friday about the TikTok ban case that will be heard Jan. 10. He asked the justices to block the pending ban to give his incoming administration time to try to resolve the legal conflict, but he didn’t take a position on the app’s free speech arguments, according to The New York Times.
Speaking of Trump, Religion News Service recently raised questions about the incoming president’s faith-related plans for his inauguration. The article highlighted documents showing that an interfaith prayer service will only be open to major donors.
After staying up late for work several nights in a row over the past week, I’m not sure I’ll make it to midnight on New Year’s Eve. But I’m looking forward to 2025 and hoping everyone has a great start to the year!
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