RantCrush Top 5: May 4, 2017

Today is the National Day of Prayer, and President Trump is expected to sign an executive order that will “protect and vigorously promote religious liberty.” It will “alleviate the burden” of the law that prohibits religious leaders from speaking out about politics, White House officials said. The order will do so by instructing the IRS to relax its enforcement of the Johnson Amendment, a provision that threatens religious groups’ tax-exempt status if they endorse political candidates. The order will also make it easier for employers to exclude contraceptive coverage in their health care plans, which was made possible by recent court decisions.

The order is not expected to include controversial phrasing that would allow federal contractors to discriminate against LGBT workers or single mothers based on religious objections, something that was included in a draft leaked in February. Yesterday, there were protests outside the White House and organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union have said that they will fight any order that allows discrimination.

And if President Trump signs an order that would allow religion to be used as an excuse to discriminate, we will sue. #SeeYouInCourtAgain https://t.co/I9f259RSXP

— ACLU National (@ACLU) May 2, 2017

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.