Respecting Religion

In our last show of 2025, Amanda and Holly talk about some of the news from the past week – including an expansion of the travel ban, devastating attacks around the world, and an appearance by Amanda before Congress to talk about the importance of protecting civil society. Plus, get an update on the podcast's plans for spring 2026 as Amanda embarks on her first sabbatical.   SHOW NOTES Segment 1 (starting at 00:33): Amanda's most recent appearance before Congress You can hear Amanda's opening testimony at 06:37 in this podcast. You can watch it online at this link. Amanda and Holly mentioned the open letter from more than 3,000 nonprofits – including BJC – rejecting presidential attacks on nonprofit organizations. You can read it online.   Segment 2 (starting at 19:42): A weekend of tragedy and a new travel ban Rob Reiner came on our podcast in 2024 to discuss his documentary "God and Country," which takes a look at white Christian nationalism. It is available on several streaming services.  Read about the expansion of the travel ban in this story from The Washington Post by David Nakamura: Trump expands travel ban to 39 countries after shooting of Guard members   Segment 3 (starting at 27:06): Amanda's upcoming sabbatical and podcast plans Read Amanda's column about her upcoming sabbatical in the winter edition of BJC's magazine, Report from the Capital: A season of rest and freedom  Respecting Religion is made possible by BJC's generous donors. Your gift to BJC is tax-deductible, and you can keep these conversations ad-free with a gift to BJC. Consider making a gift before the end of 2025. Interested in merchandise and apparel with the BJC logo? Check out our new merch store. Do you want special emails about our show? Click here to sign up for our email list!  Video of our episodes are now on YouTube! Click here for the season 7 playlist.  Have a show you really want us to air during Amanda's sabbatical? Let us know at [email protected].

The Trump administration created a "Religious Liberty Commission" in May, and it seems to be a mix of performative posturing and grievance airing, with some policy substance thrown in. Amanda and Holly discuss what this commission has – and hasn't – done so far, and they look more closely at this week's hearing on religion in the military. Littered with celebrities, many of the hearings are privileging certain religious views over others, often furthering "Christian nation" mythology and sharing general misinformation.    SHOW NOTES Segment 1 (starting at 00:33): What is this commission about? Read Amanda's statement after President Donald Trump's comments at the Sept. 9, 2025, meeting of the Religious Liberty Commission at this link.   Segment 2 (starting at 12:48): The hearing on religion in the military Amanda was quoted in this article by Karen Brooks Harper for the Dallas Morning News: Dan Patrick-led religious liberty commission is solidly rooted in Texas Amanda and Holly discussed this article by Jack Jenkins for Religion News Service: Defense Secretary Hegseth tests Constitution in Pentagon worship services Do you want special emails about our show? Click here to sign up for our email list!  Video of our episodes are now on YouTube! Click here for the season 7 playlist.  Respecting Religion is made possible by BJC's generous donors. Your gift to BJC is tax-deductible, and you can support these conversations with a gift to BJC.

Hear Amanda and Holly react live to some breaking developments in today's Respecting Religion podcast. One day after new legislation was introduced in Congress to save sacred Indigenous land, they discuss the history of and need for the Save Oak Flat from Foreign Mining Act. Plus, they talk about a brand-new class action lawsuit in Texas trying to halt the unconstitutional posting of the Ten Commandments in classrooms, and they share an update on the latest court activity regarding efforts to protect the Johnson Amendment.  This conversation aired live on social media on BJC's Facebook and YouTube channels on Thursday, December 4, at 12:30 p.m. ET / 11:30 a.m. CT.   SHOW NOTES You can watch this podcast on BJC's YouTube channel. Oak Flat: Rep. Adelita Grijalva introduced the Save Oak Flat from Foreign Mining Act on Dec. 3, 2025. You can read more details in a release from her office, which includes a quote from Amanda. For more on this issue, visit BJC's resource page at BJConline.org/SaveOakFlat   Johnson Amendment: Read this piece by Amanda published in the Dallas Morning News about the latest hearing on the Johnson Amendment: The court case that could accelerate mixing religion and politics Read BJC's statement about the members of Congress who reaffirmed their support for the Johnson Amendment in November at this link on our website.  For more resources on the efforts to protect the Johnson Amendment, visit BJConline.org/JohnsonAmendment   Ten Commandments in Texas: Here's a roundup of news items relating to the ongoing battled over the forced posting of the Ten Commandments, from Jaden Edison, Eleanor Klibanoff and Alejandro Serrano for the Texas Tribune: As appeals court is poised to consider Texas' Ten Commandments law, other legal challenges mount Read more about the latest class action lawsuit in this story from Baptist News Global: New class-action suit filed to stop Commandments in Texas Respecting Religion is made possible by BJC's generous donors. Your gift to BJC is tax-deductible, and you can support these conversations with a gift to BJC. Clicking that link to make your gift lets us know you are a supporter of the podcast.

One religious freedom case at the Supreme Court isn't getting the sort of attention as others, despite how it's uniting groups that often disagree. So, why did the justices sound so skeptical in the courtroom? Amanda and Holly review this week's oral arguments in Landor v. Louisiana Department of Corrections, which involves the remedy available to a man whose religious freedom rights were violated when he was in prison. The violation isn't in question, so why is the remedy? Amanda and Holly review the details in this case, play audio from key moments in the courtroom, and discuss the statute that protects prisoners' religious freedom rights: The Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000.     SHOW NOTES Segment 1 (starting at 00:35): RLUIPA, RFRA, and this case Amanda and Holly previewed the Landor case earlier this season – watch their conversation on BJC's YouTube channel.    BJC joined a diverse group of organizations on a friend-of-the-court brief in this case on the side of Mr. Landor – click this link to read the brief and see the groups who found common ground.   RLUIPA is the acronym for the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, passed by Congress in the year 2000. The acronym is often pronounced "Re-loop-ah." RFRA is the acronym for the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993, pronounced "Riff-rah." For more on the 2020 decision in Tanzin v. Tanvir, read this article on our website: Supreme Court rules RFRA allows monetary damages against federal officials    Segment 2 (starting at 11:05): What happened in the courtroom? Arguments on behalf of Mr. Landor The Supreme Court heard Landor v. Louisiana Department of Corrections on Monday, November 10. Visit the Supreme Court's website to read a transcript or hear the audio from the courtroom.  We played four clips from oral arguments in this segment.  Zack Tripp's opening statement, representing Mr. Landor (from 00:15-2:02 in the audio of the arguments) Exchange between Justice Samuel Alito and Zack Tripp (from 20:00-21:25 in the oral arguments) Exchange between Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Zack Tripp (from 23:35-25:56 in the oral arguments) Exchange between Justice Elena Kagan and Libby A. Baird, assistant to the solicitor general (from 1:06:38-1:07:38 in the oral argument)   Segment 3 (starting at 31:31): What did the state of Louisiana argue? We played one clip from the oral argument during this segment: Exchange between Justice Elena Kagan and Ben Aguiñaga, the solicitor general of Louisiana (from 1:38:33-1:40:26) Read more about the arguments in this article by Amy Howe for SCOTUSblog: Court appears skeptical of prison inmate's religious liberty claim Video of our episodes are now on YouTube! Click here for the season 7 playlist.  Do you want special emails about the show? Click here to sign up for our email list!  Respecting Religion is made possible by BJC's generous donors. Your gift to BJC is tax-deductible, and you can support these conversations with a gift to BJC.

Today, we are bringing you a special presentation on the contested issue of "sanctuary," which continues to cut into the immigration debates in our country. Dr. Sergio M. González traces the sanctuary movement to its roots in the 1980s and examines how we arrived at a moment where mercy is met with repression. This presentation was given on the campus of the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn., on Oct. 22, 2025, as part of BJC's annual Walter B. and Kay W. Shurden Lectures on Religious Liberty and Separation of Church and State.   SHOW NOTES Segment 1 (starting at 00:35): Introduction Dr. Sergio M. González is a historian of U.S. immigration, labor and religion. A professor at Marquette University, he is a co-founder and former organizer for the Dane Sanctuary Coalition.  He also is the co-creator of a podcast titled "Sanctuary: On the Border Between Church and State."    Segment 2 (starting at 04:45):  Presentation from Dr. Sergio M. González This is a recording of a lecture from Dr. Sergio González that took place Oct. 22, 2025, at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn. Watch the full presentation, including the audience Q&A, on BJC's YouTube channel at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSnDp8hPNIo Dr. Gonzalez mentions a document called "Religious Liberty and Immigration: Legal Analysis of Past and Future Claims." You can access it on the website of the Law, Rights & Religion Project. This program was part of BJC's annual Walter B. and Kay W. Shurden Lectures on Religious Liberty and Separation of Church and State. Learn more at BJConline.org/ShudenLectures. Video of our episodes are now on YouTube! Click here for the season 7 playlist.  Do you want special emails about the show? Click here to sign up for our email list!    Respecting Religion is made possible by BJC's generous donors. Your gift to BJC is tax-deductible, and you can support these conversations with a gift to BJC.