Maryland Safe Worship Law takes effect to protect religious practices

Maryland’s Safe Worship Law officially took effect on October 1, aimed at protecting individuals exercising religious beliefs at houses of worship. The legislation criminalizes the use of force, threats of force, or physical obstruction intended to interfere with or injure others while they are lawfully practicing their religion.

Signed into law by Governor Wes Moore in May following a unanimous legislative vote, the law applies to any religious observance and is not limited to a specific faith. Tali Cohen, Regional Director for the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) in Washington, D.C., stated that the law does not curtail free speech but ensures that expressing speech does not infringe upon another person’s ability to worship safely.

Maryland joins a small group of jurisdictions, including New York City and two other states, that have established similar protections. The implementation follows an ADL audit that identified Maryland as having the ninth-highest total of antisemitic incidents.