Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Friday issued a 25-page memo of legal guidance with principles for federal agencies about protecting religious liberty.
The guidance notes 20 principles that federal agencies and executive departments can use.
"The constitutional protection of religious beliefs and the right to exercise those beliefs have served this country well, have made us one of the most tolerant countries in the world, and have also helped make us the freest and most generous," Sessions wrote in a post on the Department of Justice site.
The principles include an allowance for certain religious organizations to hire only people whose beliefs line up with the employer's. Another principle said that religious organizations could be exempt from some discrimination laws if following those laws would violate the organization's religious principles, the Justice Department memo read.
The Sessions guidelines stated that the government is not allowed to officially approve or disapprove of a particular religious group, and may not interfere with the autonomy of a group.
The guidelines also stated that the government can likely bar religious organizations from discrimination based on race, but might not be able to bar other types of discrimination.
The attorney general sent a memo to the Department of Justice, ordering United States Attorney's offices to start incorporating the guidelines into "litigation strategy and arguments, grant administration, and all other aspects of the department's work," The Hill reported.
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