Published July 13, 2026
On July 13, 2026, EPPC Scholars Eric Kniffin and Rachel N. Morrison submitted a public comment in response to a draft final report released in June by President Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission.
The scholars’ comment opens by thanking the Commission for its work and highlighting the contributions from EPPC scholars:
President Trump has been a champion for religious liberty, in his words and in his Administration’s actions. We are grateful for President Trump’s commitment to religious liberty and how that commitment is reflected in his decision to establish the Commission, in the Commission’s work, and in this draft report.
We are also grateful that EPPC has been able to contribute to the Commission’s work and its draft report. Our president, Ryan T. Anderson, is a member of the Commission. EPPC fellows Aaron Kheriaty, M.D., and Erika Bachiochi gave testimony before the Commission. And EPPC fellows Rachel Morrison and Eric Kniffin authored public comments to the Commission. All of these EPPC contributions were cited in the Commission’s draft report.
The scholars’ July comment also provides suggested edits and additions to strengthen the Commission’s final report and help the Trump Administration better protect Americans’ religious liberty. The scholars’ recommendations draw upon the Administrative State Accountability Project’s public comments to federal agencies. Some of Kniffin’s and Morrison’s recommendations include:
- Ask DOJ OLC to issue a memorandum on how the executive branch should understand the Establishment Clause under the “original meaning and history” test;
- Ask EEOC to confirm that faith-based federal grantees and contractors retain their full religious liberty rights, including their rights under Title VII;
- Encourage DOJ or OMB to issue uniform guidance on agencies’ obligations under RFRA;
- Clarify the federal government’s role in education and promoting school choice; and
- Encourage DOJ to clarify the standard for when government-run schools ought to notify parents about matters related to the child’s religious upbringing.
Other organizations submitting comments on the draft final report include:
Eric Kniffin is a fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, where he works on a range of initiatives to protect and strengthen religious liberty as part of EPPC’s Administrative State Accountability Project.
