Liberty Institute Applauds Gov. Bryant And Mississippi Lawmakers For Passage Of Religious Freedom Law

PLANO, Texas, April 4, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Liberty Institute applauds Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant and the Mississippi Legislature for passage of the Mississippi Religious Freedom Restoration Act. In a time when hostility toward religious freedom in America is on the rise, the new law prohibits state and local governments from placing substantial burden on the religious practices of Mississippi churches and people of faith. Mississippi's law largely mirrors the Federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which was sponsored by U.S. Senators Teddy Kennedy and Orin Hatch, passed almost unanimously with broad bipartisan support, and signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1993.

In a recent religious liberty case in Mississippi, Liberty Institute successfully represented Pastor Telsa DeBerry and his small African-American church, Opulent Life, in striking down a discriminatory zoning ordinance of the City of Holly Springs, Mississippi, which effectively excluded churches (and only churches) from the City's downtown area.

"Liberty Institute commends Mississippi Gov. Bryant and the Mississippi Legislature for strengthening religious liberty by passing a religious freedom law that provides essential protections against state and local authorities and mirrors the protections provided by federal law against federal authorities. This law will ensure that Mississippians are able to fully live, learn, and do business according to their faith and without fear of harassment by their government," said Jeff Mateer, General Counsel of the Liberty Institute. "The new law provides added protection for churches and people of faith, like Pastor Telsa DeBerry and his church, Opulent Life, who make a very real difference in the world today but are increasingly being told that their faith has no place in society."

Liberty Institute is a national nonprofit legal group dedicated to defending and restoring religious liberty across America—in our schools, for our churches, inside our military, and throughout the public arena. Liberty's vision is to reestablish religious liberty in accordance with the principles of our Founding Fathers. For more information, visit www.LibertyInstitute.org.

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SOURCE Liberty Institute