Florida has secured the top spot in the United States for defending religious liberty, according to the Fourth Annual Religious Liberty in the States (RLS) index released by the First Liberty Institute. The report shows that the Sunshine State has improved its religious freedom protections by about 20 percentage points since 2022, placing it significantly ahead of other states. This progress is attributed to legislative actions under Governor Ron DeSantis, including laws allowing healthcare providers to refuse participation in procedures like abortion or sterilization based on their religious or moral beliefs.
Additionally, the state passed measures to protect places of worship from discriminatory treatment during emergencies, further bolstering its standing in the rankings. The report notes that Florida’s improvements offer a template for other states to follow. In contrast, Illinois, while historically a top performer, has seen its ranking decline due to a lack of new protections, highlighting the need for ongoing legislative action to maintain religious freedoms.
Among those states that have consistently ranked in the top five are Montana, Illinois, Ohio, and Mississippi, with Illinois and Mississippi maintaining their positions since the index’s inception in 2022. The index uses a detailed scoring system measuring legal protections and ranking states based on the percentage of possible safeguards they have adopted. The report emphasizes that Florida has improved nearly 20 percentage points since the first RLS index was released in 2022, with almost 55 percentage points separating it from the last-place state, West Virginia, which has been last for three years in a row.
The report also points out that other states, like Colorado, have experienced a decline in their rankings due to a lack of new protections, despite having a favorable political climate in the past. The First Liberty Institute warned that the results of the 2024 election should not be interpreted as a sign that protecting religious liberty is less important, emphasizing that such laws remain crucial regardless of the political environment. Governor DeSantis has praised the recognition, stating that Florida’s ranking reflects the state’s leadership in education, economy, and tourism, as well as its commitment to religious freedom.