Editor’s note: AU’s “Wall of Separation” blog will provide this semi-regular summary of Trump administration actions to undermine church-state separation, religious freedom, and the rights and freedoms that depend on them. We’ll keep you updated on how AU is fighting these attacks, and how you can help defend church-state separation – the cornerstone of our democracy. You can read our last installment here.
September was a busy month for Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission, which hosted two hearings focused on public education at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C. AU President and CEO Rachel Laser said of the Sept. 8 convening, with its Christian prayers and almost exclusively Christian speakers, “this government hearing was more like a church service.” Trump himself spoke and announced the “America Prays” initiative, which urges Americans to pray in preparation for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026. AU denounced the initiative, noting people who care about religious freedom do not need to be told when or how to pray.
At the Sept. 29 convening, the majority of the speakers were once again affiliated with Christian Nationalist organizations working to obliterate church-state separation. They included a well-known client of Shadow Network organization First Liberty Institute: Former high school football coach Joe Kennedy, whose attorneys spun what one federal judge called a ‘deceitful narrative’ to recast his coercive post-game prayer rallies with public school students as quiet, personal, private prayers, to a public high school history teacher who has likened public schools to a ‘mission field’ where she engages in ‘spiritual warfare.’ As AU Public Policy Associate Mariel Montero noted, the commission also touted private school vouchers, with one panelist admitting support for vouchers is “not about increasing test scores,” but about helping students find their purpose through God.
AU submitted extensive written public comments to the commission, explaining the real threats to religious freedom in public schools – Christian Nationalism – as well as the constitutional protections and Supreme Court jurisprudence.
The Trump administration is doing everything it can to destroy the Johnson Amendment, the federal law that prevents tax-exempt organizations from endorsing or opposing political candidates. Not on our watch. When the Internal Revenue Service proposed to reinterpret the Johnson Amendment to allow houses of worship to endorse candidates from the pulpit, we denounced the plan as unlawful and collusive and argued that the Johnson Amendment serves as a safeguard for the separation of church and state. AU immediately moved to intervene in the pending lawsuit to defend the law, since it’s clear the IRS won’t; AU attorneys will argue the case in federal court on Nov. 7.
Meanwhile, AU is rallying support for the law. Laser spoke to the Rev. Al Sharpton on his MSNBC show about why the Johnson Amendment is important, including how it protects the integrity of elections and houses of worship. We also joined with more than 1,500 nonprofits from all 50 states to launch a campaign demonstrating the broad support for the law.
You may remember that Americans United filed a lawsuit against the Department of Veterans Affairs in June after the VA stonewalled our request for records into its response to Trump’s mandate to investigate alleged anti-Christian bias. AU has now filed a second lawsuit against the Department of State for similarly failing to fulfill AU’s public-records request.
In September, AU created and began distributing a “Know Your Rights” guide for federal workers and agencies to help them better understand their rights and responsibilities regarding religious freedom in the federal workplace. The guide is in response to disinformation circulated by the Office of Personnel Management over the summer that could lead to religious coercion and harassment of coworkers and the public. “The federal government’s role is to serve the public – not to proselytize,” noted Laser. AU also wrote to 19 federal agencies explaining that the OPM memo “provides incorrect legal advice” that could “invite religious freedom violations and expose your agency to risk of litigation.”
Americans United was made for moments like these. We will vigorously defend religious freedom for everyone, especially against those who wish to impose their narrow religious views on us all. However, we cannot do this alone. Join the Americans United Action Network, share our web or social posts, come to an event or donate!
Photo: President Donald Trump speaks to the Religious Liberties Commission Sept. 8 at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C. Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images.
