Group Ranks Arkansas No. 1 in Religious Freedom Protections, ACLU Disagrees
The state earned an 89.2% score and an “excellent” rating, while the ACLU says the new laws favor certain beliefs and exclude others.
- On Tuesday, July 14, 2026, Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced Arkansas reached the top spot in the First Liberty Institute's religious liberty index, earning an "excellent" rating with a score of 89.2%.
- Sanders credited recent legislation for the jump from 27th to 1st place over the past four years, including Act 677 that prohibits government discrimination based on beliefs regarding marriage or biological sex.
- The index evaluates states using 50 legal protections across 20 safeguards spanning education and healthcare. "Religious liberty is America's First Freedom," Sanders said, emphasizing faith's importance in Arkansans' daily lives.
- Criticism followed from the ACLU of Arkansas, which argued state policies privilege certain religious beliefs while targeting LGBTQ people and marginalized communities. The organization stated "the government does not protect religious liberty by elevating one set of religious beliefs over everyone else's."
- Federal judge Timothy Brooks ruled in March that Act 573, which mandates the 10 Commandments in classrooms, violated the Establishment Clause; Attorney General Tim Griffin has appealed that decision.
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FFRF calls First Liberty’s “Religious Liberty” index a Christian nationalism scorecard
Image from First Liberty The Freedom From Religion Foundation is criticizing First Liberty Institute’s newly released Religious Liberty in the States 2026 report, arguing that it rewards states for expanding religious exemptions rather than protecting genuine religious freedom. The report rewards states for enacting laws that allow religious individuals and organizations to opt out of generally applicable laws, including nondiscrimination protec…
Arkansas ranks No. 1 in religious liberty; Sanders warns 'lack of community' poses major threat
Republican Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, whose state ranked top this year for religious freedom, told The Christian Post that the loss of community and increasing alienation among Americans pose grave threats to religious liberty in the United States.
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