Their intentions were good.
Shielding kids from so called “sexually explicit” materials. Ensuring our children’s education is aligned with values that uphold morality. Permitting chaplains to fill the gaps for mental health support at our public schools.
Let’s think about the children, they said. Let’s protect the children!
But good intentions don’t always equate to good legislation, as we saw during the 2025 legislative session with bill after bill that pushed ideological principles, imposed Christian doctrines and would have done little more than chip away at our First Amendment rights.
Since the First Amendment was ratified in 1791 as part of the Bill of Rights, these 45 words have been integral to democracy. It protects our fundamental rights to free expression and speech, to practice religion or no religion at all, and to protest our government, among other rights.
Upholding these rights is the sworn responsibility of our elected leaders. But the culture warriors among our state legislative assembly seemed wholly unconcerned. And that’s extremely alarming!
Take Senate Bill 2307, for example. Legislators narrowly passed this bill that sparked contentious debate in committee hearings and on the legislative floor, with much of the discussion focused on fears that children might discover library books featuring teenagers in same-sex relationships or depicting families with two dads or two moms.
If community members don’t want to engage with certain ideas or topics – or let their kids engage with certain ideas or topics – they don’t have to. Substituting state control for parental judgement is not the answer. In fact, that’s censorship. And once you allow the government to censor someone else, you’re also giving the government the power to censor you or something you like later.
Similarly, religious freedom was up for debate this year, too.
Not long ago, religious freedom was largely viewed across the ideological and political spectrum as a bedrock value of American democracy that transcended partisan agendas. Every individual and family — not politicians or the government — gets to decide for themselves what religious beliefs, if any, they adopt and practice. But in statehouses across the county, religious freedom debates are now at the epicenter of the culture wars as some believe certain Christian ideals should be reflected in political decisions.
North Dakota lawmakers attempted to require public schools to post prescribed copies of the Ten Commandments in public school and university classrooms and other school spaces with House Bill 1145 and they wanted to encourage local school districts to allow taxpayer funded chaplains in our public schools with House Bill 1456.
As enshrined in the First Amendment, however, religious freedom includes two complementary protections: the right to religious belief and expression and a guarantee that the government neither prefers religion over non-religion nor favors particular faiths over others. These dual protections are supposed to work hand in hand, allowing religious liberty to thrive and safeguarding both religion and government from the influences of the other.
The ACLU’s opposition to these bills doesn’t mean we think protecting children or ensuring their education is guided by strong moral values isn’t important. It’s just that parents already have the right and ability to do so. And what’s right for one family may not be right for another. That’s not up for someone else to decide.
Fortunately, Gov. Kelly Armstrong vetoed Senate Bill 2307, and an attempt to override the veto failed. House Bills 1145 and 1456 failed, too. Protecting our First Amendment rights like this is essential for a vibrant and open society where individuals can express themselves freely, hold the government accountable and participate in the democratic process.
But just because the 2025 legislative session is over doesn’t mean the fight for our First Amendment rights in North Dakota is over. Far from it. The state legislature isn’t the only place these debates are happening. We’re seeing similar efforts at local community library boards, school boards and city councils across the state, too. You can bet the culture warriors among our legislative body will try again during the 2027 session, too.
We know that attacks on our First Amendment rights won’t stop – and the American Civil Liberties Union of North Dakota is prepared to continue the fight. We hope you’ll join us.
A version of this column was also published in the North Dakota Monitor.
