Liberty Counsel’s client, Justin Aguilar, a North Carolina high school valedictorian who was nearly censored last Spring for his faith-filled graduation speech, testified yesterday before President Donald Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission held at the Museum of the Bible. Aguilar’s main message was that school districts nationwide do not need to be afraid of religious speech. 

“I’m not here to criticize, but to testify,” said Aguilar. During this second Religious Liberty Commission on Religious Liberty in Public Education, Aguilar testified that he received his proposed graduation speech back with “Jesus Christ crossed out completely.” Then he consulted with Liberty Counsel about his First Amendment rights.

Liberty Counsel advised Aguilar that U.S. Supreme Court precedents show that private religious expression is not a “First Amendment orphan.” Aguilar then respectfully appealed to keep the speech unchanged. Aguilar told the Commission that the school district never gave him clear confirmation whether he could keep all of his religious references intact. When his graduation ceremony arrived, he nervously walked up to the podium still wondering whether he’d be censored, and delivered his moving speech as written, in which he said, “I want to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ…who has always loved me."

Liberty Counsel's client, Justin Aguilar, testifies to the Religious Liberty Commission at the Museum of the Bible, Sept. 8, 2025.

“And what’s amazing is that the crowd erupted,” Aguilar testified. “People weren’t divided, they were inspired.” The speech also gave appropriate credit to his parents, teachers, as well as challenged his classmates to be a good influence in the lives of other people. Aguilar noted that after the speech that many staff and students had been touched by his emotional remarks.

“It was a moment that showed the importance of faith in our lives,” said Aguilar. “So to every school teacher and administrator and district leader, you don’t have to censor students. You don’t have to be afraid of religious speech. I believe if more school teachers and officials knew what the law actually required, they would feel more confident to reject cause of censorship.” 

“Asking students to erase their faith from their voice is asking them not to be themselves,” continued Aguilar. “I want you to know that grace and love and truth go hand in hand. You can support students, religious liberty, and still honor every student in the room.

Liberty Counsel also encouraged Aguilar that religious speech from graduating high school seniors is protected because it does not constitute government speech endorsing religion. 

The Religious Liberty Commission is holding a series of hearings to discuss religious liberty issues in public education and to hear perspectives from parents and students. The objective of the hearings is to “understand the historic landscape of religious liberty in the public education setting,” and to identify any “present threats” to that liberty while identifying opportunities to protect it in the future. 

President Trump established the commission May 1 to “safeguard” the nation’s founding principle of religious freedom and to deliver a report detailing the state of religious liberty in the nation.

At the Religious Liberty Commission hearing, President Trump spoke and noted the hearing was “historic.” 

“America was founded on faith… And when faith gets weaker, our country seems to get weaker,” said President Trump. “And under the Trump administration, we’re defending our rights and restoring our identity as a nation under God. We are one nation under God, and we always will be.”

Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver said, “Justin Aguilar’s courage and respectful approach, backed by legal precedent, resulted in his school administrators correcting their constitutional errors where he delivered an uncensored, faith-filled graduation speech. Voluntary references to God or Jesus Christ in a graduation speech are all protected by the First Amendment and may not be censored by school officials. The Founders designed American government to be a shield to religious liberty and the Religious Liberty Commission is working to protect the rights of citizens and religious organizations to practice their faith without government interference.”