Last month, we passed along an analysis of an earlier version of HB 757, the "religious liberty" bill, by Joe Whitley, a former federal prosecutor and ranking executive of the U.S. Justice Department under two GOP administrations.
Whitley is under retainer to Georgia Equality, as former Georgia attorney general Mike Bowers was last year. But Whitley’s analysis is extensive and worth diving into. One important passage:
This provision is similar to one set forth in federal law that direct courts to apply "strict scrutiny" review to free exercise claims. In doing so, federal courts have generally determined substantial burdens in the same way they have the sincerity of religious belief, that is, once a claimant pleads that a law or regulation is a substantial burden, then it is, and the courts do not have the ability to second guess that claim. Federal courts also apply these provisions to both individuals and closely held for-profit corporations…..
Here it is of significant concern that this provision could be used to overturn municipal anti-discrimination ordinances.
Read the entire thing here:
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