It’s a long way from snowy Kalispell, Mont., to Washington, D.C, but for Kendra Espinoza and her daughters Naomi and Sarah, the trip to the U.S. Supreme Court last week was worth it.

Chase Windebank had to take his high school to court for the right to meet and pray with fellow students during a free period. But by the time the case was resolved, he had graduated from Pine Creek High School in Colorado Springs, Colo.

WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump marked National Religious Freedom Day on Thursday by announcing new federal protections for students’ religious expression.

An Oregon congregation that wants to host a Christian school has run into opposition from county planners, but the faithful at Faith on Hill Church are not backing down.

“We’re taking the county to school on this one,” Pacific Justice Institute (PJI) President Brad Dacus said.

The 50-member church, located in the Portland suburb of Milwaukie, agreed to host Skopos Christian School in August when it had nowhere else to go.

A Catholic charity in Michigan that sought protection last year for its foster care and adoption services is back in court—this time to defend its refugee resettlement work.

Despite a Supreme Court decision in favor of religious liberty, battles continued on multiple fronts this year, from schools and medical centers to child placement agencies and the small businesses of creative professionals.

President Donald Trump signed reauthorization for the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) on Dec. 20, following months of legislative grappling and controversy that left the future of the watchdog in doubt.

For the next three years, USCIRF will receive $3.5 million annually after lawmakers managed to include about a dozen pages of reauthorization language in the 2020 omnibus spending package. The agency is reauthorized until Sept. 30, 2022.