Project Pat assembly at Tennessee high school draws accusations of constitutional rights violations

ABC 24 (Memphis, TN)
By Courtney Anderson

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Louisiana can display Ten Commandments in classrooms, appeals court rules

Christian Post
By Michael Gryboski

The post Louisiana can display Ten Commandments in classrooms, appeals court rules appeared first on Freedom From Religion Foundation.

Fifth Circuit allows 10 Commandments to be display in Louisiana schools, for now

Center Square Louisiana
By Bethany Blankley

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National advocacy group raises concerns about a school assembly in West Tennessee

ABC 24 (Memphis, TN)
By Shaquiena Davis

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FFRF: Surgeon General nominee Casey Means is prescription for pseudoscience

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is alarmed by the nomination of Casey Means for U.S. surgeon general — reflecting the Trump administration’s hostility toward science, medicine and the secular principles that uphold sound public policy.

Means is scheduled to testify in person before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions on Wednesday, Feb. 25, after months of delay. She was originally set to appear virtually before the committee in October, but the hearing was postponed after she went into labor.

Means, who left her medical residency before completion to become a wellness influencer and tech entrepreneur, has aligned herself closely with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a prominent vaccine skeptic and purveyor of anti-science rhetoric. The two have helped build a movement to replace medical expertise with ideology and personal “belief.” Means has expressed skepticism about parts of the childhood vaccination schedule, advised against relying on prescription medications for chronic conditions, and warned that the birth control pill “shuts down” a woman’s “life-giving nature” and reflects society’s “disrespect for life.”

“America’s top physician should defend medical science, not undermine it,” says FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. “Means’ nomination is part of the broader effort by Kennedy’s ‘MAHA’ agenda to replace evidence-based public health with faith-based pseudoscience.”

The surgeon general’s role requires clear communication based on verifiable science and a commitment to protecting all Americans, regardless of belief. Yet Means has publicly questioned mainstream medicine, promoted unproven “metabolic health” theories, and expressed skepticism toward contraception and conventional disease treatment — views that resonate more with the MAHA crowd than with modern medicine.

Senators need to take a lesson from the Kennedy confirmation debacle. Kennedy provided enough reassurance on vaccines to convince some to vote for him — and now is betraying that trust by undermining public confidence in vaccines, slashing recommended childhood vaccines and actively defunding and sabotaging the most promising vaccine research.

“Public health must rest on evidence, not ideology or personal polemics,” Gaylor adds. “The separation between state and church was designed to keep faith and government — and by extension, science — in their proper lanes. This nomination, if approved, would dangerously blur those boundaries.”

FFRF urges the Senate to reject Means’ nomination and reaffirm the importance of secular, evidence-based decision-making in public health leadership.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a U.S.-based nonprofit dedicated to defending the constitutional principle of separation between state and church and educating the public on matters relating to nontheism. With about 42,000 members, FFRF is the largest association of freethinkers (atheists, agnostics and humanists) in North America. For more information, visit ffrf.org.

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‘We Dissent’ reintroduces an old friend to dig into the federal courts

A former “We Dissent” host returns to the show!

On Episode 50, FFRF Deputy Legal Director Liz Cavell and Americans United Legal Director Rebecca Markert welcome back National Women’s Law Center Director of Nominations and Democracy Alison Gill, former co-host of the podcast. Alison shares what she’s been up to since leaving the pod, before walking Rebecca and Liz through the state of the federal bench. Then, the trio discusses federal judicial nominations from recent presidential administrations and what it has meant for religious liberty and other civil rights. 

“We Dissent,” which first aired in May 2022, is a legal affairs show offering legal wisdom from the secular viewpoint of women lawyers. The show is a collaboration of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, Americans United and the National Women’s Law Center.

Find previous episodes here, which examine developments affecting the separation of church and state, particularly in the U.S. Supreme Court and lower federal courts. Past episodes include discussions about court reform, religion behind bars and abortion, and also feature a range of expert guests.
      
Episodes are available at the “We Dissent” website, on YouTube, Spotify or wherever your podcasts are found. Be sure to stay up to date with the “We Dissent” podcast on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Bluesky.

Tune in regularly at “We Dissent” for compelling legal discussion and insights!

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A Tennessee bill would force Bible lessons and prayer in public schools

Friendly Atheist
By Hemant Mehta

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FFRF’s ‘Secular Spotlight’ digs into National Prayer Breakfast

We dig into the 2026 National Prayer Breakfast — a Christian nationalist propaganda-fest — on the latest episode of the Freedom From Religion Foundation’s “Secular Spotlight.”

FFRF’s Chris Line and Mark Dann break down the Prayer Breakfast with journalist Jonathan Larsen, revealing it as a hub for right-wing religious influence and elite networking rather than a simple bipartisan faith event. They also highlight how leaders like President Trump and his faith adviser Paula White are using the event for political and international influence, raising serious church-state concerns.

“It’s one thing to say faith matters (no one is going to dispute that), but to say that we all need to be aware that God a) exists and b) is our boss — this is something that you should not be getting from U.S. officials,” Larsen remarks. “This is deeply, I would argue, if it were an impeachable position, impeachable, problematic. This is something that the First Amendment makes quite clear.”

You can catch the latest episode of “Secular Spotlight” on FFRF’s YouTube channel, as well as by watching on your smart TV after downloading FFRF’s free app, Freethought TV, which also highlights FFRF’s other video programming. Previous episodes include a reflection on the Minnesota ICE crisis featuring Minnesota state Rep. Andy Smith, as well as a deep dive into the Secular Student Bill of Rights by FFRF’s legislative team. See our full playlist for more videos!

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a U.S.-based nonprofit dedicated to promoting the constitutional principle of separation between state and church and educating the public on matters of nontheism. With more than 41,000 dues-paying members, FFRF is the largest freethought association in North America. For more information, visit ffrf.org.

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FFRF challenges Christian display at Marion Police Department

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is demanding that the Marion (Indiana) Police Department remove a Christian verse displayed on state property.

A concerned community member informed FFRF that the police department displays a bible verse at its main police station, advertised by the department’s social media as “the message our officers see every time they depart headquarters.” The verse reads: “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.  – Matthew 5:9.” 

The individual who contacted FFRF reported how alarming and exclusionary it is to see this message being displayed by a public agency: 
Seeing this religious message displayed so prominently at a government-run police department made me feel alienated and uneasy. It sent a clear signal that Christianity is being treated as the “default” or preferred belief system within an institution that is supposed to serve and protect everyone, regardless of religion or lack thereof. As a non-Christian, it’s disheartening and even a little intimidating to see faith used to frame law enforcement duties — it feels like there’s a spiritual qualification being placed on public service. I want to trust that my local police operate from a position of neutrality and inclusivity, not under the influence of a particular religion. This kind of messaging undermines that trust and makes me question whether officers see themselves as enforcers of the law or as agents of a religious mission.

FFRF is urging the police department to remove the religious display to respect the right of conscience of all Marion residents. 

“Citizens of Marion trust their law enforcement officials to attend to their secular duties,” FFRF Staff Attorney Madeline Ziegler writes. “Spending taxpayer time and money placing religious messages on police department property is beyond the scope of secular government.”

People interact with and rely on law enforcement officers during some of the most urgent and vulnerable times of their lives. These people should not be made to feel alienated, like political outsiders, because the local government they support with their taxes oversteps its power by declaring that its officers are representatives of the Christian god. Nor should the department privilege religious citizens. Such a show of religious preference undermines the credibility of the police department and calls into question the impartiality of their law enforcement officials.

The religious display undermines the community’s confidence in the religious neutrality of the police department, and, in order to adhere to the constitutional principle of separating state and church, the department must see that it is removed as soon as possible

FFRF emphasizes that the exclusionary message extends not only to the public but also to the department’s own employees. A non-Christian police officer required to pass beneath a Christian proclamation every day before beginning their shift is placed in an untenable position. Such an officer may reasonably feel like an outsider in their own workplace — pressured to conform or stay silent about their beliefs to fit in. Government employment should not come with the implicit message that one’s religious views determine whether they truly belong.

“Religious quotes of any kind create an exclusionary environment not just for residents of Marion, but also for police officers who do not share the specific religious views being pushed on them,” FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor says.  “State employees are free to practice their faith privately. But when religious messages become part of official government property and messaging, that crosses a constitutional line.”

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a national nonprofit organization with 42,000 members nationwide, including almost 600 members in Indiana. FFRF’s purposes are to protect the constitutional principle of separation between church and state, and to educate the public on matters relating to nontheism.

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FFRF warns NYC Mayor Mamdani over religious ritual with municipal workers

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is calling out New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani for crossing a constitutional line by engaging in a religious observance with municipal employees while acting in his official capacity.

On Feb. 22, Mamdani posted photos and commentary on his official New York City Mayor’s X account showing him participating in suhoor with Department of Sanitation workers. The post includes an image of the mayor appearing to engage in prayer alongside city employees. Suhoor is the predawn meal Muslims consume before beginning the daily fast during Ramadan, and it is a religious observance.

FFRF has sent a letter to the mayor explaining that while public officials are free to practice their religion in their personal capacities, the Constitution prohibits government officials from promoting or participating in religious exercise in their official roles.

“When a mayor joins a religious observance with city employees in connection with their official duties, it conveys governmental alignment with a particular faith,” FFRF Legal Counsel Chris Line writes. “Government officials may worship in their personal capacities. They may not use the machinery, prestige or platforms of a public office to advance or highlight religious exercise.”

FFRF’s concern is not merely regarding the social media post, but the underlying conduct itself. City employees are subordinate to elected leadership, and even nominally voluntary participation in a religious exercise can carry implicit pressure. Public employees should never be placed in a position where they may feel expected to participate in or appear supportive of a religious observance in the workplace.

The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment requires governmental neutrality on matters of religion. New York City serves a religiously diverse population, including people of many faiths ​​and those who are nonreligious. Official participation in religious observance risks alienating both employees and constituents who do not share the mayor’s beliefs.

“The fact that a religious viewpoint may represent a minority faith does not diminish the constitutional prohibition on governmental promotion of religion,” FFRF points out in its letter. “Your elected office belongs to the people of New York City, not to any particular religion.”

FFRF is urging Mayor Mamdani to refrain from engaging in religious exercises with city employees in his official capacity and to ensure that future engagements with municipal departments remain secular in nature.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a national nonprofit organization with 42,000 members nationwide, including more than 2,100 members in New York. FFRF’s purposes are to defend the constitutional principle of separation between church and state, and to educate the public on matters relating to nontheism.

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