Arkansas has been ranked the nation's top state for religious liberty after Republican Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a series of laws expanding faith protections that helped lift the state to the top.
Earning a score of 89.2%, Arkansas became one of only two states to earn the First Liberty Institute's annual Religious Liberty in the States index's first-ever "excellent" rating.
The index evaluates states using 50 legal protections across 20 religious liberty safeguards spanning education, healthcare, family law, economic activity, and other areas of daily life.
Religious liberty is a fundamental right, and Arkansas is leading the nation in protecting it, Governor Sanders said.
The state's climb to the top was driven largely by Act 677, legislation signed by Sanders last year that bars state and local governments from penalizing people, businesses, and religious organizations for acting according to their religious beliefs regarding marriage and biological sex.
The Conscience Protection Act, signed by Sanders in 2023, expanded Arkansas' Religious Freedom Restoration Act by prohibiting state government discrimination against religious organizations based on their religious identity or status.
Kelly Shackelford, the organization's leader, said other states should follow Arkansas' lead and strengthen their own religious liberty protections.
Dr. Mark David Hall, director of the Religious Liberty in the States project, said Arkansas demonstrates how states can protect the "sacred right of conscience," allowing people to practice their faith not just at church, but in their everyday lives.
States have always served as laboratories of liberty, and this year's results show why that matters, Hall said.
In a separate move, Governor Sanders defended religious freedom in December by rejecting demands from a group advocating for the separation of church and state to reverse her proclamation closing state offices for Christmas.
She argued that only by voicing their own faith and celebrating other faiths can citizens make their state's diverse religious communities feel seen and heard.
Dr. Paul D. Mueller, associate director, said the index provides a clear picture of where states are doing well, where they still have room to improve, and which existing laws could help better protect the right of conscience.
