Religious Control System

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Lore & Background

The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty was founded in 1994 by Kevin Hasson, a lawyer who previously worked in the Reagan Administration Justice Department under Samuel Alito, then-Assistant Attorney General and current U.S. Supreme Court Justice. Hasson, who is Catholic, named The Becket Fund after Saint Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 to 1170, who was murdered at Canterbury Cathedral in 1170. In 2011, Hasson stepped down as president, making way for William P. Mumma. Kristina Arriaga, executive director starting in 2010, is now a senior advisor. Montse Alvarado replaced Arriaga as executive director in 2017. Mark Rienzi now serves as president and CEO. In 2021, the firm reported 63 employees and revenue of about $11.2 million. In 2014, it had eleven litigating attorneys and an estimated budget of five million dollars. The firm operates as a non-profit.

In Their Own Story

Becket has served as counsel at the Supreme Court for thirteen religious freedom cases since 2012, starting with Hosanna-Tabor v. EEOC (2012), where the Court unanimously ruled in favor of the ministerial exception doctrine. They served as counsel to the plaintiffs in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. (2014), winning a 5–4 ruling that family owned businesses have a right to operate in accordance with their conscience. Becket litigated Holt v. Hobbs (2015), representing a Muslim inmate who wanted to grow a beard according to his faith; the Supreme Court unanimously ruled in support of Holt. Becket served as counsel to the Little Sisters of the Poor in Little Sisters of the Poor Saints Peter and Paul Home v. Pennsylvania (2020) and represented Our Lady of Guadalupe School in Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru (2020). In 2021, Becket litigated Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, winning a 9–0 ruling that the city could not refuse to contract with Catholic Social Services. In 2025, Becket litigated Catholic Charities Bureau v. Wisconsin, winning a 9–0 decision that Wisconsin's denial of an unemployment tax exemption was unconstitutional.

Reader's Guide

Becket has represented groups and persons from many different religious traditions, from Anglicans to Zoroastrians. In 1997, the Rigdon v. Perry case set a precedent that the military could not ban chaplains from following the directives of their religious leaders. In 2010, Becket represented students seeking to continue reciting the Pledge of Allegiance (including 'under God') in Newdow v. Carey. In 2012, Becket represented a mosque in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, denied the right to use its building. Becket has litigated on behalf of prisoners, including ensuring observant Jewish prisoners receive kosher food. From 2016 to 2019, Becket represented Lehigh County, Pennsylvania in a case about a cross on its County seal; the Third Circuit ruled the cross did not violate the constitution. In 2022, the firm began representing Yeshiva University in a case where students sued for refusing to recognize an LGBTQ student group. In 2021, Becket began representing the Apache Stronghold to prevent a copper mine at Oak Flat, Arizona, a sacred site. Becket occasionally intervenes in favor of the state, as when it argued that Jewish plaintiffs challenging Indiana's abortion statutes were 'insincere' in their religious beliefs.

Did You Know?

• Becket has an undefeated record at the Supreme Court, winning 13 consecutive cases since 2012.
• The firm is named after Saint Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury who was murdered in 1170.
• Founder Kevin Hasson previously worked in the Reagan Administration Justice Department under Samuel Alito.
• In 2021, Becket reported 63 employees and revenue of about $11.2 million.
• Becket has represented clients from many faiths, including Anglicans, Zoroastrians, Muslims, and Jews.