Overview

• The commission was established by executive order on May 1 and held its inaugural session on June 16 at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C.
• The 14-member panel is led by chair Dan Patrick and vice chair Ben Carson and features Christian and Jewish faith leaders, constitutional lawyers and senior officials.
• Attorney General Pam Bondi vowed to deploy every available legal tool to uphold constitutional protections for religious exercise.
• Some attendees, including interfaith advocates and legal scholars, walked out in protest over the panel’s limited religious diversity and perceived Christian bias.
• The commission will continue hearings beginning in September and must publish a report on the history and state of religious liberty by July 4, 2026.