Elizabeth Reiner Platt, director of the law, rights and religion project at Columbia Law School, said during the first months of the second Trump term, “There’s much more of a wide-scale institutional interest in these religious liberty arguments that I didn’t see in the first Trump administration.”
Three lawsuits challenging the Trump administration’s change to the sensitive locations policy have mostly relied on protections within the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which Reiner Platt explained is the “most robust protection against infringements on religious liberty,” going even beyond the First Amendment.
Rowe and Malavé both acknowledged concerns that the Trump administration would retaliate against faith groups that fight its policies, even by seeking to remove their tax-exempt status.
Malavé expressed more concern about that scenario, but Rowe said, “I think there’s going to be some other ways that the administration may choose to retaliate or target the Episcopal Church, but we’re running scenarios. We’re prepared — as prepared as we can be in this time.”
The Rev. Carlos Malavé participates in a webinar titled “Religious Responses: Faith-Based Lawsuits During the Second Trump Administration,” Tuesday, May 20, 2025. (Video screen grab)
“Discipleship is costly,” Rowe said. “We’re not used to that, particularly as a privileged institution like the Episcopal Church. And hopefully, we can stand the test of time.”
He added, “We have to speak out. This is the kingdom of God. It’s not the kingdom of this world.”
This article originally appeared here.
