Trump's Religious Liberty Commission sued over lack of diversity

• Interfaith Alliance and Hindus for Human Rights were among those accusing the commission of violating the Federal Advisory Committee Act, which requires such groups to have a balance of viewpoints.
• The commission includes Protestant, Catholic and Jewish people, but no Muslims or other members of minority religious groups. There is Muslim representation on its advisory board of lay leaders.

A group of multifaith organizations sued President Donald Trump’s administration on Feb. 9 over what theycontend is an illegal lack of religious and ideological diversity on the Department of Justice’s Religious Liberty Commission.

Interfaith Alliance and its president and CEO, the Rev. Paul Raushenbush, along with Muslims for Progressive Values, the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund and Hindus for Human Rights are named as plaintiffs in the lawsuit, which was filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

The organizations are asking the court, among other requests, to find the commission violates the Federal Advisory Committee Act, a law that requires such groups to be "fairly balanced in terms of the points of view represented."

The Religious Liberty Commission includes Protestant, Catholic and Jewish people, but no Muslims or members of other minority religious groups. Its members broadly "espouse the view that America is a 'Judeo-Christian' nation with limited, if any restrictions, on infusing their religious values into government," the lawsuit said.

"This does not reflect the diversity of American religion and does not appear to be interested in truly standing up for religious freedom for all Americans," Raushenbush told USA TODAY.

The lawsuit was filed on the same day the commission met for a hearing on antisemitism and religious freedom in the private sector.

The Department of Justice told USA TODAY the commission's hearings offer "opportunities for Americans from all walks of life to share their testimonies, concerns and recommendations" in relation to religious liberty issues.

"The Department of Justice’s mission is to uphold the rule of law and ensure fair and impartial justice for all Americans, which is an endeavor every American should support regardless of their political beliefs," the statement said.

White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said Trump "promised to protect religious freedom for all people of faith and created the Religious Liberty Commission to address current threats to domestic religious liberty."

"Unlike the previous administration, the Trump Administration is committed to ensuring all Americans can freely exercise their faith without fear of government censorship or retaliation," Rogers said.

Commission doesn't reflect 'full diversity of American religious life,' complaint says

The plaintiffs are being represented by Democracy Forward and Americans United for Separation of Church and State, which has described the commission as being part of an "administration-wide effort to advance Christian Nationalism."

Trump, Attorney General Pam Bondi and Mary Margaret Bush, the commission’s director, along with the DOJ and Religious Liberty Commission itself are named as defendants.

The lawsuit said the commission "excludes perspectives that emphasize the full diversity of American religious life" and therefore isn’t equipped to adequately address topics related to religious liberty, such as attacks on minority houses of worship.

It also "lacks the viewpoint of religious minorities like Sikhs, Muslims and Hindus, who face some of the most pernicious discrimination," the lawsuit said.

It asked the court to find that the commission "is not properly constituted" and that any of its reports or recommendations therefore do "not reflect the views of a lawfully constituted advisory committee."

Commission tasked with advising administration, creating report

The commission is a group of up to 14 people appointed by Trump who are tasked with advising the federal government on religious liberty issues and publishing a report on the history and state of religious liberty in the nation. Trump’s executive order establishing the group said the members’ terms, and the commission itself, will end on July 4 – the 250th anniversary of American independence – unless Trump extends it.

The creation of the commission followed the establishment of the White House Faith Office in February 2025, which replaced former President Joe Biden's White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.

The White House has said the commission is meant to reflect a "diversity of faith traditions, professional backgrounds and viewpoints."

But the lawsuit said the commission’s membership "makes inevitable a one-sided, ahistorical analysis" of religious freedom and diversity in the country.

Plaintiffs 'looking for accountability'

The lawsuit isn’t the first time the commission has been accused of not living up to its stated values.

A group of people, including the Interfaith Alliance’s Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons, walked out during Bondi’s remarks at the commission’s first hearing in June. Guthrie described Bondi's remarks, which included her beliefs that the federal government under past administrations "became complicit in sheltering" threats to religious liberty, as "very extreme" and said the committee had "very little diversity of thought."

Other hearings covered topics such as prayer in public schools and Charlie Kirk, who was described as a Christian martyr in a tribute following his assassination in September.

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who serves as the commission's chair, said in the Sept. 8, 2025, meeting that the committee "represents all faiths because that’s what our founders intended."

The commission has Muslim representation on its advisory board of lay leaders through Sameerah Munshi, who advocated for the right of religious parents at Maryland's Montgomery County Public Schools to opt their students out of reading books with LGBTQ+ themes. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the parents in June.

Raushenbush said he and the other plaintiffs are "looking for transparency, and we’re looking for accountability." He described the separation of church and state as "the smartest, most beautiful thing America did at its founding."

"I think that’s what we need to keep moving forward, and I want to make sure people don’t betray that important value," he said.

This story has been updated to add new information.

 BrieAnna Frank is a First Amendment reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected]. 

USA TODAY's coverage of First Amendment issues is funded through a collaboration between the Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners. Funders do not provide editorial input.