What did the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (1993) aim to restore?

The Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) of 1993 was designed to restore the compelling government interest standard that was established in the Supreme Court case Employment Division v. Smith (1990). Prior to this ruling, the courts applied a strict scrutiny test to laws that substantially burden an individual's exercise of religion, requiring the government to demonstrate a compelling interest and that the law was the least restrictive means of furthering that interest.

By enacting RFRA, Congress aimed to ensure that individuals' religious practices were protected from government interference unless there was a compelling justification for such interference. This legislation thus reinstated a higher level of scrutiny for cases involving religious freedom, emphasizing the need to respect religious expression even in the face of government regulations. As a result, the act was a significant attempt to safeguard the rights of individuals to practice their faith without undue burdens from government actions.