2026-07-14T10:00:57-04:00 / 福克斯新闻
这个“自然之州”在50项法律基准中获得89.2%的得分，首次获得该指数颁发的信仰保护“优秀”评级
作者：基拉·麦克唐纳、安德鲁·马克·米勒 福克斯新闻
发布时间：2026年7月14日 美国东部时间上午10:00
萨拉·桑德斯详解该州教育重大改革如何带来成果
阿肯色州州长萨拉·哈克比·桑德斯告诉福克斯新闻数字频道，阿肯色州的考试成绩正在提升，她希望本州能够成为全国的样板。
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【福克斯新闻独家报道】：在共和党州长萨拉·哈克比·桑德斯签署一系列扩大信仰保护的法案后，阿肯色州被评为全国宗教自由排名第一的州，这些法案助力该州登顶榜首。
阿肯色州以89.2%的得分，成为仅有的两个获得第一自由研究所年度《各州宗教自由指数》首次颁发的“优秀”评级的州之一。该指数通过涵盖教育、医疗、家庭法、经济活动及其他日常生活领域的20项宗教自由保障措施下的50项法律保护条款来评估各州。
“宗教自由是美国的第一自由，阿肯色州在保护这一自由方面处于全国领先地位，”桑德斯说道。
“我们的权利来自上帝，而非政府，每一位美国人都有权依照自己的信仰和良知生活。我们将继续捍卫这一自由，确保这个‘自然之州’始终是全美最适合居住、工作和进行宗教礼拜的地方。”
美国未来250年的发展取决于将信仰与自由传承给我们的孩子
2024年5月7日，在华盛顿特区迪凯特大厦举行的由户外休闲圆桌会议主办的首届全国户外休闲行政论坛上，阿肯色州州长萨拉·哈克比·桑德斯参与活动。(保罗·莫里吉/盖蒂图片社 为户外休闲圆桌会议供图)
在议员们通过多项扩大宗教活动和良知权利法律保护的措施后，这个“自然之州”较去年的排名上升了六位。
阿肯色州的排名跃升主要得益于桑德斯去年签署的第677号法案，该法案禁止州和地方政府因个人、企业和宗教组织秉持与婚姻和生理性取向相关的宗教信仰行事而对其进行处罚。
上诉法院恢复阿拉斯加航空公司空乘人员的诉讼，这些空乘因反对骄傲信息被解雇
一群人手牵手祈祷。在扩大信仰和良知保护措施后，阿肯色州在新的宗教自由指数中排名第一。(iStock)
该州的宗教自由推进举措还包括桑德斯2023年签署的《良知保护法》，该法案扩大了阿肯色州的《宗教自由恢复法》，禁止州政府基于宗教身份或地位歧视宗教组织。
第一自由研究所主席、首席执行官兼首席法律顾问凯利·沙克尔福德表示，其他州应该效仿阿肯色州，“在本州加强宗教自由保护措施”。
“当领导人愿意在信仰群体的权利受到威胁之前采取行动时，宗教自由才能得到最好的保护，”沙克尔福德说道。
桑德斯州长披露教育领域“重大突破”，红色州将自身定位为全国样板
2024年7月17日，阿肯色州州长萨拉·哈克比·桑德斯在威斯康星州密尔沃基举行的共和党全国代表大会上发表讲话。(维克多·J·布鲁/彭博新闻社 via 盖蒂图片社)
《各州宗教自由项目》主任马克·大卫·霍尔博士表示，阿肯色州展示了各州如何保护美国建国者所称的“神圣的良知权利”，让人们不仅能在教堂，还能在日常生活中践行信仰。
“各州始终是自由的试验场，今年的排名结果证明了这一点为何至关重要，”霍尔说道。
桑德斯还在去年12月公开捍卫宗教自由。她驳回了倡导政教分离的组织“自由与宗教基金会”要求她撤销州政府办公室圣诞节放假公告的诉求。
在福克斯新闻数字频道此前获得的一封回信中，桑德斯驳斥了该公告违宪的说法，称“唯有通过表达我们自身的信仰并尊重其他信仰，我们才能让本州多元化的宗教社群感受到被看见、被倾听”。
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“通过这一指数，民众和议员们可以了解本州的优势、仍需改进之处，以及哪些现有法律能够更好地保护良知权利，”《各州宗教自由项目》副主任保罗·D·穆勒博士说道。
基拉·麦克唐纳是福克斯新闻数字频道的制作助理
Arkansas takes home top ranking for religious freedom after Gov Sanders expands key protections
2026-07-14T10:00:57-04:00 / Fox News
The Natural State scored 89.2% on 50 legal benchmarks, earning the index’s new ‘excellent’ rating for faith protections
By Kiera McDonald, Andrew Mark Miller Fox News
Published July 14, 2026 10:00am EDT
Sarah Sanders outlines how major education shakeup has led to results in her state
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Sanders tells Fox News Digital test scores are on the rise in Arkansas and that she hopes her state can serve as a national blueprint.
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FIRST ON FOX: Arkansas has been ranked the nation’s top state for religious liberty after Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a series of laws expanding faith protections that helped lift the state to the top.
Earning a score of 89.2%, Arkansas became one of only two states to earn the First Liberty Institute’s annual Religious Liberty in the States index’s first-ever “excellent” rating. The index evaluates states using 50 legal protections across 20 religious liberty safeguards spanning education, healthcare, family law, economic activity and other areas of daily life.
“Religious liberty is America’s First Freedom, and Arkansas is leading the nation in protecting it,” Sanders said.
“Our rights come from God, not government, and every American should be free to live according to their faith and conscience. We’ll continue defending that freedom and ensuring the Natural State remains the best place in the country to live, work and worship.”
AMERICA’S NEXT 250 YEARS DEPEND ON PASSING FAITH AND FREEDOM TO OUR CHILDREN
Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders participates in the first-ever National Outdoor Recreation Executive Forum hosted by Outdoor Recreation Roundtable at Decatur House on May 7, 2024, in Washington, D.C.(Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Outdoor Recreation Roundtable)
The Natural State climbed six spots from last year’s rankings after lawmakers approved several measures expanding legal protections for religious exercise and conscience rights.
Arkansas’ rise was driven largely by Act 677, legislation Sanders signed last year that bars state and local governments from penalizing people, businesses and religious organizations for acting according to their religious beliefs regarding marriage and biological sex.
APPEALS COURT REVIVES LAWSUIT BY ALASKA AIRLINES FLIGHT ATTENDANTS FIRED AFTER OPPOSING PRIDE MESSAGE
A group of people hold hands in prayer. Arkansas topped a new religious liberty index after expanding faith and conscience protections.(iStock)
The state’s religious liberty push also included the Conscience Protection Act, signed by Sanders in 2023, which expanded Arkansas’ Religious Freedom Restoration Act by prohibiting state government discrimination against religious organizations based on their religious identity or status.
Kelly Shackelford, president, CEO and chief counsel at First Liberty, said other states should follow Arkansas’ lead and “strengthen religious liberty protections in their own states.”
“Religious liberty is best protected when leaders are willing to act before the rights of people of faith are threatened,” Shackelford said.
GOV SANDERS REVEALS ‘MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH’ ON EDUCATION AS RED STATE POSITIONS ITSELF AS ‘BLUEPRINT’ FOR NATION
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders speaking at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 17, 2024.(Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Dr. Mark David Hall, director of the Religious Liberty in the States project, said Arkansas demonstrates how states can protect what America’s founders called “the sacred right of conscience,” allowing people to practice their faith not just at church, but in their everyday lives.
“States have always served as laboratories of liberty, and this year’s results show why that matters,” Hall said.
Sanders also publicly defended religious freedom in December. She rejected demands from the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), a group that advocates for the separation of church and state, to reverse her proclamation closing state offices for Christmas.
In a response letter previously obtained by Fox News Digital, Sanders pushed back on claims it was unconstitutional, saying “only by voicing our own faith and celebrating other faiths can we make our state’s diverse religious communities feel seen and heard.”
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“With this index, citizens and legislators can see where their state is doing well, where it still has room to improve, and which existing laws could help better protect the right of conscience,” Dr. Paul D. Mueller, associate director of the Religious Liberty in the States project, said.
Kiera McDonald is a Production Assistant for Fox News Digital.
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