How Florida Became America's Leading Religious-freedom Defender Under Desantis: Report

The Sunshine State ranks arsenic nan nation's number 1 defender of belief liberty retired of each 50 states, according to nan First Liberty Institute's 4th yearly Religious Liberty successful nan States (RLS) index. 

For nan first time, Florida tops nan nationalist rankings, followed by Montana, Illinois, Ohio and Mississippi. Illinois and Mississippi person garnered a spot successful nan apical 5 each twelvemonth since nan scale was first released by nan First Liberty Institute's Center for Religion, Culture & Democracy (CRCD) in 2022.

The scale uses a elaborate scoring strategy measuring ineligible protections and ranking states based connected nan percent of imaginable safeguards they person adopted. 

This year, pinch 2025's rankings, astir 55 percent points separates Florida from nan last-place state, West Virginia, which has been past connected nan scale for 3 years successful a row.

PARENT GROUPS, RELIGIOUS LIBERTY EXPERTS HAIL SCOTUS UPHOLDING PARENTS RIGHTS IN LGBTQ BOOKS CASE

Florida was conscionable fixed nan apical spot successful blimpish ineligible group First Liberty Institute's 2025 belief liberty rankings, pinch nan group citing nan state's accrued protections for nan religiously affiliated. (iStock)

"We find that nan states are laboratories of religious liberty wherever different protections for free workout tin beryllium implemented and tested," CRCD Executive Director Jordan Ballor wrote successful an preamble for nan 2025 index. "One of nan awesome goals of nan RLS task is to raise consciousness of what different states are doing. There are affirmative lessons to beryllium learned from this experimentation, arsenic states that person been astatine nan vanguard of protecting belief liberty tin service arsenic exemplars for states that person lagged behind."

The index's accompanying study points retired that Florida "is an exemplar" for really authorities lawmakers tin amended their protections astir belief freedom. According to nan report, nan Sunshine State has improved astir 20 percent points since nan first RLS scale was released successful 2022.

Much of this betterment came from authorities passed successful 2023 strengthening belief protections that let healthcare providers to garbage to participate successful aesculapian procedures aliases services, such arsenic abortion aliases sterilization, based connected their belief aliases civilized beliefs. The study besides pointed to Florida's transition of authorities successful 2022 protecting houses of believe from discriminatory curen during pandemics and different emergencies.

Florida was crowned number 1 among each 50 states successful nan First Liberty Institute's 2025 belief liberty rankings. (Getty Images; iStock)

"Florida holds respective #1 rankings, starring nan federation successful education, economy, and tourism – and now, Florida is #1 successful belief liberty," said Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. "We’re grateful for this nickname from nan First Liberty Institute, which has conscionable named Florida nan number 1 authorities successful nan federation for protecting belief liberty."

PASTOR URGES TRUMP TO PROTECT RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AFTER ALLEGED BIDEN CRACKDOWNS

"This year’s findings show intelligibly that states taking legislative action are pulling ahead," added Kelly Shackelford, president, CEO and main counsel astatine First Liberty. "Under nan activity of Gov. DeSantis, Florida passed existent laws that protect existent people, and now nan Sunshine State is nan nationalist leader successful protecting belief liberty. It’s clip for much states to travel Gov. DeSantis’s illustration and adopt beardown belief liberty laws."

While Florida was pointed to successful nan RLS scale arsenic an "exemplar," nan study stated that belief state was becoming progressively "tenuous" successful nan bluish authorities of Illinois. The move downward for nan Land of Lincoln was not because nan authorities repealed protections, but chiefly because it has not implemented caller protections that different states, like Florida, have, nan study noted.

Per nan 2025 RLS report, almost each of Illinois' protections came erstwhile nan authorities was much blimpish betwixt 1934 and 1998.

While Florida was pointed to successful nan RLS scale arsenic an "exemplar," nan study stated that belief state was becoming progressively "tenuous" successful nan bluish authorities of Illinois. (iStock)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

In an effort to show nan dangers of "complacency," nan study besides pointed to Colorado erstwhile Republicans "routinely" had power of some houses of nan authorities legislature. The situation was friends toward belief liberty, but lawmakers did not walk overmuch successful nan measurement of protections, according to nan report. It said nan state's complacency contributed to Colorado's "abysmal" 43rd-place decorativeness successful nan 2024 RLS rankings and 34th decorativeness successful nan 2025 rankings released Monday.    

The First Liberty Institute said nan results of nan 2024 predetermination whitethorn springiness immoderate group nan thought that passing laws protecting belief liberty is not arsenic important, but nan blimpish Christian ineligible group warned this is "emphatically not nan case," noting that information shows passing specified laws is conscionable arsenic captious amid a "favorable" governmental climate.