Attorney General Issues Religious Freedom Day Proclamation

Attorney General Jeff Sessions released the following proclamation commemorating Religious Freedom Day:

“Thomas Jefferson served as President for two terms, as Vice President, and as Secretary of State, but he did not mention these prestigious titles on his tombstone. Instead, he named three accomplishments he was more proud of: that he had founded the University of Virginia, authored the Declaration of Independence, and authored the Virginia statute of religious freedom.

“To commemorate Religious Freedom Day, the Department of Justice will file an amicus brief today supporting reversal of the D.C. District Court’s decision denying the Archdiocese of Washington’s motion for preliminary injunction against Washington Area Metropolitan Transit Authority (WMATA) and will file a second amicus brief later this week with the Supreme Court of Montana supporting parents who claim that the state unconstitutionally discriminated against their children when it barred them from a private school scholarship program because they attend a religious school.    

“On this Religious Freedom Day, as we remember this historic statute, we do well to remember the timeless truths it articulates: that religious freedom is an inalienable human right which deserves the protection of the law and that ‘truth is great and will prevail if left to herself.’”