Trump's federal Religious Liberty Commission, led by Dan Patrick, sued over 'unfair bias'

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Courtesy: Dan Patrick on X

A federal commission on securing "religious liberty" for U.S. citizens, established last year by President Donald Trump, has been sued by a group of interfaith leaders over alleged bias towards Christianity.

The Religious Liberty Commission (RLC) is chaired by Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who reportedly requested to take charge of the advisory group.

Religious Liberty Commission lawsuit

Religious bias:

The lawsuit claims that the commission, which is intended to study the past, present and future right to religious freedom in the nation, has 15 Christian members and one Jewish member. The suit says the RLC is unable to be effective in its directive without including members of a more diverse selection of faiths. 

Federal violation:

As a result of its alleged Christian-centric leanings, the commission is accused of violating a law called the Federal Advisory Committee Act, which is intended to prevent the government from creating one-sided advisory groups that under-represent differing sides of the groups' goals. FACA requires committees to be fair, balanced and transparent, which the lawsuit alleges the RLC is not.

According to the lawsuit, the commission fails to meet FACA standards by neglecting to release agendas in advance, along with full transcripts of meetings, statements from witnesses, and other video or written documentation. 

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Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick appointed Chair of Presidential Religious Liberty Commission

The Commission was established by Pres. Trump to focus on the foundations, awareness, and protection of religious liberty in the U.S.

Active harm:

The plaintiffs in the lawsuit are the Interfaith Alliance and include religious leaders from the Christian, Muslim, Sikh and Hindu faiths. These plaintiffs say they and their religious organizations are currently being harmed by the commission due to exclusion. 

They also argue that future reports from the RLC will likely be biased towards Christianity and against minority religions, allowing for discrimination in the name of "religious liberty."

Lawsuit demands:

The plaintiffs ask that the commission be restructured to better represent world religions and prevent the exclusion of other viewpoints. They also ask for the release of all documents that have allegedly been doctored or withheld from the public. 

The lawsuit also seeks to add a warning label to any previous reports from the RLC, saying they were produced unlawfully. 

Dan Patrick's role in RLC

The backstory:

Patrick was announced as the chairman on May 1, 2025, after being appointed by Trump on the National Day of Prayer. 

According to the Houston Chronicle, the role was Patrick's idea. 

What they're saying:

At the time of his appointment, Patrick released the following statement:

"I am honored to be selected as the Chairman of the Religious Liberty Commission by President Trump. The commission is comprised of some of the foremost faith leaders, scholars, and thinkers of our time. We will carry out the president’s important mission to preserve and strengthen religious liberty in our country. I thank President Trump for his steadfast commitment to ensuring our nation returns to our founding principles of faith and religious liberty."

The other side:

The lawsuit specifically complains about Patrick's views on social and policy issues through a Christian lens:

"Mr. Patrick has defended Texas’ now-abrogated ban on same-sex marriage as constitutional and has argued that ‘There is no separation of church and state. It was not in the constitution.’ He has also promoted legislation that aims to promote Judaism and Christianity in a manner that, under current legal doctrine, violates the Establishment Clause, including a law that would require the Ten Commandments to be posted in public school classrooms. He has further claimed that the United States was ‘birthed by prayer,’ was founded on the ‘Judeo-Christian ethic,’ and is ‘a Christian nation.’"