Religious Freedom Plenary Panel

Friday, October 7, 2022
9:30-11:30 AM
Riviera Ballroom

Moderated by Adele Keim

Featuring Michael Bindas, John Bursch, Roger Gannam, Jeff Mateer, Eric Rassbach, and Walter Weber

Open to all conference attendees, this two-hour main session features top Supreme Court advocates discussing the religious freedom cases they litigated at the Court this term. 

The 2021-22 Supreme Court term will go down in history as the term the Court decided Dobbs, but Dobbs was not the only landmark opinion this term. The Court also decided four significant religious freedom cases – Shurtleff, Ramirez, Carson, and Kennedy. Attendees will hear about all of these victories from lawyers who were involved in the litigations. Panelists will discuss how these cases came about, what it was like to argue before the Court, and how these decisions have reshaped religious freedom law. 

Christian Legal Scholars’ Symposium        

Friday, October 7, 2022
12:00-2:30 PM
Cardiff Patio
Sponsored by Trinity Law School
Featuring Steven K. Green  and John Inazu

We live in an age of suspicion. Many of our institutional pillars have fallen out of favor and caused a consequential loss of confidence in the ordering of society. Perhaps nowhere has this become more prominent than in the institutional crisis surrounding church and state. Those on the so-called left decry the breach of the wall of separation, as religious freedom advocates continue to score victories at the nation’s highest court. Those on the so-called right respond that the trend toward a more robust protection of religious freedom reflects more accurately the intentions of the framers and the religious character of American society. 

As John Courtney Murray once wrote, the American consensus must constantly be argued. With this in mind, we’d like to provide a place to do just that. At this year’s Christian Legal Scholar’s Symposium, we will gather over lunch and hear from Steven K. Green as he discusses the topic of his latest book on the history of separating church and state. In preparation, please be familiar with his book, Separating Church and State: A History, and read his interview with Eric C. Miller in RELIGION & POLITICS, which can be found here.

Spouses’ Gathering

Friday, October 7, 2022
1:30-3:00 PM
Penthouse Suite
Sponsored by Regent University 

The Spouses’ Gathering is a great time of fellowship among the spouses of those attending the CLS National Conference. Come get to know fellow spouses, join lively conversation, and enjoy light refreshments.