Multifaith Coalition Takes Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission To Court
India-West News Desk
NEW YORK, NY-A coalition of multifaith organizations, including several led by Indian American advocates, has filed a federal lawsuit challenging the Trump-Vance administration’s “Religious Liberty Commission,” alleging it was unlawfully created, improperly balanced, and operated in violation of federal transparency laws.
The legal challenge was brought by Interfaith Alliance, Muslims for Progressive Values, Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund, and Hindus for Human Rights. The coalition is represented by Democracy Forward and Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, coincides with a meeting of the commission on February 9 at the Museum of the Bible. Plaintiffs argue that the panel violates the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), which requires advisory bodies that influence national policy to operate transparently, reflect balanced viewpoints, and avoid undue special-interest influence.
According to the complaint, the Religious Liberty Commission was established by Executive Order 14291 on May 1, 2025, and is composed almost entirely of Christian members, with only one Orthodox Jewish rabbi. The plaintiffs allege that the commission excludes representation from other faith traditions — including Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism — as well as nonreligious Americans, while advancing the view that the United States is a “Judeo-Christian” or Christian nation guided by Biblical principles.
“Religious liberty means religious liberty for everyone, not just one faith community. By stacking this Religious Liberty Commission with a narrow set of voices and hiding the commission’s work from the public eye, the Trump administration is evading the transparency and balance that federal law requires. Hindus for Human Rights is proud to stand with our multifaith partners to defend a pluralistic democracy where Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Jews, Christians, Buddhists, and nonreligious people all belong as equals,” said Ria Chakrabarty, Senior Policy Director of Hindus for Human Rights.
“Religious freedom and religious liberty for all are foundational American values,” said Kiran Kaur Gill, executive director of the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund, adding that the country thrives when diverse religious perspectives are respected in public life.
Interfaith Alliance President and CEO Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush said the government lacks the authority to elevate some religious beliefs over others, warning, “Religious freedom for some is religious freedom for none.”
Leaders from Muslim and Hindu American organizations echoed concerns that privileging a single faith tradition risk marginalizing minority community and undermines the principle of equal religious liberty in a pluralistic society.
From a legal standpoint, the lawsuit contends that the administration failed to comply with FACA’s core requirements, including transparency and balanced representation. The plaintiffs are asking the court to declare the commission unlawfully constituted, compel the release of records subject to public disclosure laws, and require that any recommendations issued by the body be clearly identified as coming from an improperly formed advisory committee.
Advocacy groups representing the plaintiffs said the commission’s structure and closed operations erode public trust and conflict with longstanding constitutional principles governing the relationship between religion and government.
Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said the commission’s meetings — many held at the Museum of the Bible and dominated by Christian prayers and speakers — reflect favoritism that “can’t be squared with America’s constitutional promise of church-state separation.”
The case is titled Interfaith Alliance et al. v. Trump et al. The legal team includes Anna Deffebach, Robin Thurston, and Ayesha Khan of Democracy Forward, and Jenny Samuels of Americans United.
