Much of the speech and the roadmap are commendable. Here’s what’s missing: an emphasis on the foundation – including basic freedoms and civic education – of our democratic republic.

Being truly educated means understanding one of the most powerful forces in the world: religion. Being a truly educated American means understanding the importance of protecting that force: freedom of religion.

The Washington model illustrates that by recognizing potential conflicts and enacting appropriate accommodations, schools can do their work without unnecessarily infringing the religious exercise of students. It is a model other states, including Utah, should follow.

Caring for children and families in vulnerable situations is an undoubted public priority, and everyone willing to provide good-faith help is needed.

The year 2021 has started fast and furious in the political space. Rioting at the U.S. Capitol and the banning of our president from certain big tech platforms like Facebook and Twitter have continued the national discussion about speech and ideas.

Ensuring that Utah civics education is adequate will take a statewide commitment from more than just the Legislature (and it’s usually better when it comes from more local decisionmakers), and it will demand that we avoid simplistic solutions about teachers or schools simply needing to “do better.”

It is our republic – if we can keep it.

The case involves a regulation issued by the California Attorney General for charitable organizations. Those organizations have long been required to provide financial disclosures, but they had only been asked to file basic financial information.

In a year with nearly $2 billion in new taxpayer dollars to potentially spend, prudent fiscal stewardship via avoiding excess is no simple task.

As the pandemic restrictions were just settling in, Sutherland noted that the situation was an important “stress test” for how the government would treat fundamental rights, like religious exercise. Now that there appears to be light at the end of the tunnel – though still a ways away – what are the preliminary test results?