Religious Freedom Restoration Act

A Federal law that made governments bear the legal burden of justifying in court anything they did that burdened someone's religious beliefs or observances. This law obviously discriminated against non-religious persons, but had some cool results (like Bessard v. California Community Colleges) when governments couldn't show the necessity of certain laws. Overturned by Supreme Court in 1997, City of Boerne v. Flores; see equal protection, Art gallery owned by an atheist.

An law passed by the US government in 1993 which was hyped as increasing religious freedom. However, studies show that there is no threat to religious liberty, and the act would do nothing but allow the religious a way around many laws that would in essence be giving the religious special rights that no atheist could ever hope to obtain. The law was struck down by the Supreme Court as unconstitutional, and a successor, the Religious Liberty Protection Act, was pushed.