At least four US states have enacted laws this year criminalising the disruption of worship services, following a high-profile protest at a Minnesota church that sparked outrage among faith leaders. The laws, passed in Idaho, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Kansas, aim to provide greater protection for congregants beyond existing trespassing legislation.
Republican lawmakers sponsoring the bills argue that worshippers deserve peace and safety in sacred spaces. Idaho Senator Mark Harris, a Republican co-sponsor, said: “People should go to church to be able to sit in peace, worship as they please, without having to worry about people coming in and harassing them.” The Minnesota protest, where 39 people were charged for disrupting a service, was cited as a key catalyst.
The new laws impose penalties including up to a year in prison and fines of up to $10,000 for first offences. Some measures also restrict protest activities such as holding signs near places of worship. Critics from both parties warn the laws infringe on free speech rights, and a similar ordinance in Nassau County, New York, is facing a legal challenge from the New York Civil Liberties Union.
Similar bills have been introduced in at least seven other states and in Congress. Kevin Goldberg of the Freedom Forum, which advocates for First Amendment rights, said that if challenged, governments must demonstrate an actual threat: “You can’t be guessing, you can’t be speculating. There has to be some evidence that there’s an actual threat going on.”
