How does the Religious Freedom Restoration Act protect people and organizations from federal government actions that burden religious exercise?

The Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) protects individuals and organizations from federal government actions that substantially burden their religious exercise by codifying a strict "compelling-interest" balancing test.1

Under this framework, the federal government is prohibited from imposing a substantial burden on a person's exercise of religion unless it can demonstrate that the action is:
* In furtherance of a compelling governmental interest.1
* The least restrictive means of furthering that specific interest.1

In the landmark case Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., the Supreme Court affirmed that closely held for-profit corporations qualify as "persons" under the RFRA. Consequently, these entities may be exempt from federal regulations—such as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act’s contraceptive mandate—if those regulations violate the owners' sincerely held religious beliefs and fail the RFRA’s rigorous legal standard.21

Protecting the right to exercise one's conscience is a fundamental ethical principle, ensuring that government mandates do not unnecessarily override deeply held religious convictions.1