Bipartisan Bill Targets Church Protesters With Buffer Zones
A rare bipartisan coalition in Congress introduced legislation Thursday to crack down on protesters who disrupt religious services, citing growing concerns that Americans are unable to worship without fear. The Right to Worship Act would establish 100-foot buffer zones around houses of worship during religious services, with escalating civil fines for violations.
The bill was introduced by Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) in the Senate, and Reps. Brad Knott (R-NC) and Tom Suozzi (D-NY) in the House, according to Fox News. The legislation comes after a series of high-profile incidents in which protesters disrupted church services and demonstrations outside synagogues turned confrontational.
Key Provisions
The legislation would prohibit demonstrations within 100 feet of any pedestrian or vehicular entryway of a house of worship, from one hour before to one hour after a scheduled religious service. Violations would carry civil fines of $2,500 for a first offense, $5,000 for a second, and $10,000 for a third.
The bill includes exemptions for demonstrations with federal, state, or local government-issued permits. It also classifies disruptions based on volume, duration, and impact rather than the content of speech, preserving First Amendment protections for peaceful expression. Houses of worship would not be required to make their schedules public.
Unlike Suozzi’s earlier SACRED Act, which would have imposed criminal penalties, the new legislation relies on civil fines. The bill would allow affected individuals, the U.S. Department of Justice, and state attorneys general to pursue legal action against violators.
A Pattern of Disruption
The legislation follows a wave of incidents that have drawn national attention. In January, anti-ICE protesters stormed Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, disrupting a Sunday worship service. The protest targeted the church because one of its pastors also served as the St. Paul ICE field office director. At least 39 people were eventually indicted in connection with the incident.
In May, hundreds of anti-Israel demonstrators massed outside Park East Synagogue in Manhattan during the “Great Israeli Real Estate Event,” displaying Hezbollah flags and stickers depicting a swastika inside a Star of David. The following week, demonstrators gathered outside a synagogue in Brooklyn’s Midwood neighborhood, where police made multiple arrests after protesters threw objects, as Al Jazeera and NY1 reported.
In March, an assailant rammed a truck into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan, while more than 100 children were inside. The attack caused significant fire damage and resulted in the attacker’s suicide.
According to the Anti-Defamation League, in 2025 alone the organization documented dozens of protest-related antisemitic incidents and nearly 530 incidents of harassment at synagogues in the U.S.
Bipartisan Support
The pairing of Cruz, a prominent conservative, with Slotkin, a moderate Democrat and potential 2028 presidential candidate, underscores the broad appeal of protecting houses of worship. The bill also brings together Knott, a House Judiciary Committee Republican, and Suozzi, a Long Island Democrat who previously introduced the SACRED Act in April.
“Today, many Americans are unable to worship without fear of harassment, assault, or other forms of intimidation,” Knott said. “The right to worship freely is foundational to our nation and was one of the motivations for its founding. No American should ever feel that their choice is between worshiping in fear and not worshiping at all.”
“Exercising your right to worship should not require you to exhibit particular courage as you enter your synagogue, church, mosque, temple, mandir, or gurdwara,” Suozzi said in a statement, as reported by Newsday.
Cruz emphasized Congress’s duty to protect religious freedom. “The First Amendment guarantees every American the right to freely exercise their faith, and Congress has a duty to ensure that guarantee is met,” he said, according to JNS. “In recent years, we have seen organized acts of hate meant to disrupt and deny that right.”
The legislation has drawn endorsements from a broad array of groups, including the ADL, the American Jewish Committee, the Islamic Society of North America, the Hindu American Foundation, and the Orthodox Union Advocacy Center. The Orthodox Union worked closely with the bill’s sponsors to draft the legislation.
“Freedom of religion is not just the freedom to believe as your faith instructs,” said Nathan Diament, OU Advocacy Executive Director. “It must include the right to practice one’s religion without fear of harassment or violence. No one in America—be they Jewish, Christian, Muslim, or of another faith—should have to choose between their religion and their safety.”
Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL CEO and National Director, said, “No one should have to push through a hostile crowd or shout over a bullhorn in an attempt to pray.” The Jewish Federations of North America also applauded the introduction of the bill.
The Combat Antisemitism Movement said the legislation “answers the need for urgent national-level action to protect houses of prayer at a time of rising antisemitism across the United States.”
First Amendment Tensions
The bill attempts to balance First Amendment protections for free speech with the right to religious worship. However, civil liberties groups and critics have historically argued that such buffer zones infringe upon constitutional free speech and public assembly rights, even when peaceful.
Those concerns were highlighted in June when a federal judge temporarily blocked Nassau County from enforcing its own Religious Safety Act, which created similar protest buffer zones. Judge Sanket J. Bulsara granted a preliminary injunction in the case of Borecky v. County of Nassau, siding with free speech advocates represented by the New York Civil Liberties Union, according to Pacer Monitor. The county has filed an interlocutory appeal.
At least four states adopted laws banning the disruption of religious services earlier this year. ADL has helped ensure passage of safe worship zone laws in New York City, New York State, Maryland, and Arizona, with bills pending in California and Pennsylvania.
What’s Next
The bill’s sponsors believe the bipartisan support in both chambers gives it a pathway to passage by the end of the year. However, the legislation faces several challenges: the House is currently in August recess, midterm election season is approaching, and civil liberties groups have not yet fully analyzed the new bill but have historically opposed such buffer zones.
The Jewish Insider first reported on the planned introduction of the legislation earlier this week. As the bill moves through the legislative process, observers will be watching whether the bipartisan coalition holds and how the courts respond to constitutional challenges that may follow.
For worshippers across the country who have faced harassment and intimidation at their places of prayer, the question is whether Congress can deliver on its promise to protect the fundamental right to worship without fear—and whether such protections can withstand constitutional scrutiny.