Report ranks Arkansas top state for religious liberty protections
Arkansas climbed from sixth to first after lawmakers approved new religious liberty protections, according to the Religious Liberty in the States index.
Arkansas leads the nation in legal protections for religious liberty, according to a July 17 report.
The 2026 Religious Liberty in the States index ranked Arkansas first among all 50 states, finding it protects 89% of the religious liberty safeguards measured by the report.
The report said Arkansas led the rankings by a clear margin, outperforming even the states with the strongest religious liberty protection, overtaking Florida, which earned the top spot in 2025.
The annual Religious Liberty in the States index evaluates state laws protecting religious liberty across areas of everyday life, including health care, education, religious practice, and the workplace.
Arkansas ranked sixth in the index last year before climbing to the top spot in the 2026 report. The report credited the state's rise in part to HB 1615, a law enacted in 2025 that protects individuals, religious organizations, and certain businesses from being compelled to participate in wedding ceremonies that conflict with their religious beliefs.
The law also extends those protections to wedding vendors, including florists, bakers, and photographers. According to the report, Arkansas became the second state, after Mississippi, to provide those protections to for-profit businesses.
The index also expanded its evaluation to include three new legal protections, including medical conscience rights, labor unions, and higher education. Arkansas received credit for each of the new protections, helping make it one of only two states — alongside Tennessee — to earn the index's highest "excellent" rating.
The report concluded by encouraging other states to strengthen their legal protections for religious liberty, saying the index makes opportunities to do so "transparent and actionable."
