By Johanna Kaiser, Communications & Development Associate

As Rhode Islanders get ready to celebrate the holiday season at the State House tonight, it’s critical to remember the importance of religious freedom here in the land of Roger Williams.

The principle of religious freedom, as enshrined in the First Amendment, ensures that the government “shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion” and since the ACLU’s founding we have worked diligently to maintain the separation of church and state across the country. While we work to prevent the government from favoring any religion, we have just as ardently worked to protect individuals’ rights to freely practice (or not practice) their religion without fear of government interference.

Here in Rhode Island, the ACLU has worked on a number of cases to protect against violations of these principles. These cases include:

  • 1973: A favorable decision from U.S. Supreme Court in precedent-setting case establishing limits on public aid to parochial schools.
  • 1975: The successful defense before an Immigration and Naturalization Service board of a woman initially denied naturalization due to her religious convictions against bearing arms for the country.
  • 1984: A challenge in U.S. Supreme Court to a city-sponsored nativity scene display in Pawtucket. The Court ruling set the outer limits on the types of displays with religious content that could be sponsored by the government.
  • 1990: The Affiliate successfully represented a Wiccan Church that was initially denied a sales tax exemption by the Division of Taxation on the grounds that it was not a “legitimate” religion.
  • 1990: The ACLU obtained a settlement on behalf of a Hmong family whose son was autopsied against their religious beliefs; this case was cited by Congress in passing the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, and by the General Assembly in enacting a similar state law, two years later.
  • 1992: A favorable ruling from U.S. Supreme Court in lawsuit challenging a public school’s practice of having an invocation and benediction delivered at a graduation ceremony.
  • 1991: A favorably settled complaint challenging the use on police applicants of a standardized psychological test which asked questions relating to religious beliefs.
  • 1996: A successful federal lawsuit challenging a Town’s practice of providing free snow-plowing to churches, but to no other private institutions.
  • 2007: A successful appeal of a federal court ruling upholding a warden’s decision to bar an inmate from supervised preaching at religious services even though he had done so for seven years without incident
  • 2010: A successful federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a prayer mural addressed to “Our Heavenly Father” that was displayed in the auditorium of a Cranston public high school.

(Check out all our cases involving religious freedom and the separation of church and state.)

Issues of religious freedom or public displays of religion are often discussed during the holidays, but, as this small sampling of cases makes clear, religious freedom is not a seasonal issue. This year, the ACLU spoke out against attempts to intimidate Muslims across the country, and fought against attempts to use religion as a way to discriminate against women and LGBT individuals.

So, whether you celebrate a holiday this month or not, don't forget that the ACLU remains on the forefront of protecting religious freedom and the the separation of church and state all year round.