W.H.: Gov. Pence Is Wrong, Federal Religious Freedom Law Not as Expansive as Indiana’s

PACE: "There are some legal scholars and supporters of the law that say it is actually rooted in 1993 federal law that's been upheld by the courts. Does the president feel like there is a need to amend that law?"

EARNEST: "I know the Governor Pence has tried to falsely suggest that the law that was signed in Indiana is the same as the law that was passed on the federal level in 1993. That is not true. The reason that's not true is that the 1993 law was an effort to try to protect the religious liberties of religious minorities based on actions that could be taken by the federal government. The Indiana law is much broader. It doesn't just apply to individuals or religious minorities, it applies to -- and I'm quoting here -- 'a partnership, a limited liability company, corporation, a company, a firm, a society, a joint stock company, or unincorporated association.' So this obviously is a significant expansion of the law in terms of the way that it would apply. It leaves open the question what sort of religious views a joint stock company may hold but that may be something for lawyers to ponder. At the same time, it is also worth noting that the law in Indiana doesn't apply to interactions with the government. It also applies to private transactions as well, which means that this is a much more open-ended piece of legislation that could reasonably be used to try to justify discriminating against somebody because of who they love. And again, that is why we have seen such a bipartisan and even non-political outcry against this law and again I think that is also what has prompted Indiana officials to reconsider wisdom of this approach."