Safeguards

Now in its third edition, RLS measures the presence or lack of each of 16 safeguards in each state. States differ greatly, as reflected in the range of RLS 2024 scores (as percentages of an ideal) across the 50 states, from 25 percent of potential safeguards to 80 percent.

Some safeguards contain multiple “items,” that is, specific protections. Collectively, we consider 39 ways states may, but don’t have to, protect religious liberty. Each of these protections has been adopted in at least one state. Click on a safeguard below to explore which states are protecting religious exercise in these domains and how they are doing it. We provide links to each religious liberty statute for those interested in learning more (and for those seeking models of protections that their state lacks).