Full Breakdown
Federal Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Over Trump-Era Religious Liberty Commission
7/28/2026, 3:52:14 AM
Court Dismissal of the Challenge
U.S. District Judge John Cronan, a Trump-appointed judge in New York City, issued a 49-page opinion rejecting a lawsuit that alleged the White House’s Religious Liberty Commission excluded non-Judeo-Christian faiths in violation of a statutory balancing requirement. The judge held that the commission’s composition—members drawn from public, private and nonprofit sectors and representing at least five different religions—did not require “perfect” representation. He noted that leaving out some groups is inevitable in a fourteen-member body and that the plaintiffs had not shown why excluding non-Judeo-Christian religions was more imbalanced than internal Christian diversity. The court also found that an ordained minister who sued alongside other groups lacked legal standing to pursue the claim.
Background of the Commission and the Lawsuit
President Donald Trump created the Religious Liberty Commission last year to address perceived discrimination against Christians and to produce a report on the foundations of religious liberty in the United States. The commission’s chair is former Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick (R), with former HUD secretary Ben Carson serving as vice-chair. Its membership also includes New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan and Rev. Franklin Graham, among others. Progressive Muslim, Hindu and other interfaith groups filed the lawsuit, arguing that the commission’s makeup violated federal law that requires certain presidentially created bodies to be “fairly balanced.”
Official Statements from the Commission and the Plaintiffs
A commission spokesperson said the agency was pleased with the dismissal. The coalition highlighted that more than one hundred individuals of diverse faiths had testified during seven hearings and that the litigation had helped uncover information the administration had sought to keep from the public.
Key Points from the Ruling
- The judge affirmed that the statutory balancing requirement does not demand exact representation of every faith.
- The court rejected the claim that the commission’s exclusion of non-Judeo-Christian religions created an unlawful bias.
- Legal standing was denied to an ordained minister who was part of the interfaith plaintiff group.
The dismissal leaves the Religious Liberty Commission operational as originally structured, while the plaintiffs indicated they will continue efforts to promote transparency and religious pluralism.
