麻豆影院

From Tuesday, June 10, to Friday, June 13, 2025, the hosted the , held in conjunction with the inaugural State of Religious Freedom Conference. This distinguished gathering, held at the University鈥檚 Ch芒teau d鈥橦auteville campus in Switzerland, brought together leading legal scholars, practitioners, judges, and thought leaders from around the world to explore timely issues at the intersection of law, religious liberty, and public life.

Conference guests attending welcome dinner

The event was jointly organized by the law school鈥檚 and the and served as the first in a forthcoming series of international conferences on religious liberty spearheaded by the Ken Starr Institute. Centered on the future of religious freedom, the speakers and attendees were asked to investigate: 鈥淗ow can we and should we protect religious liberty?鈥� Featuring sessions led by prominent legal experts and panelists, participants engaged in thoughtful, comparative discussions on the legal, cultural, and societal dimensions of religious freedom across transatlantic contexts.

鈥淚 can think of no better institution than the Caruso School of Law鈥攚ith its Ken Starr Institute and its Nootbaar Institute鈥攖o host such a momentous conference on religious liberty," said dean Paul Caron. "This is the work of a preeminent global Christian university.鈥�

Nootbaar Fellows Conference

The four-day event officially began with a welcome dinner on Tuesday, June 10, followed by the Conference on Wednesday, June 11. The conference featured thought-provoking sessions led by Nootbaar fellows, including Jim Oleske, professor of law at Lewis and Clark Law School, who began the conference by presenting a comparative analysis of underinclusive laws and their impact on religious liberty. Amy Sepinwall, associate professor in the department of legal studies and business ethics for the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, examined the tension between religious freedom and anti-discrimination rules in public spaces. Stephanie Barclay, professor of law at Georgetown University Law Center and faculty codirector of the Georgetown Center for the Constitution, shared insights on the Supreme Court鈥檚 evolving approach to religious accommodations. Netta Barak-Corren, professor of law at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Haim H. Cohn Chair in Human Rights, discussed the societal implications of veil bans. Brandon Paradise, associate professor of law and Dallas Willard Scholar at Rutgers Law School, concluded with an argument for Martin Luther King, Jr.鈥檚 moral vision as an alternative to liberalism and critical race theory. 

State of Religious Freedom Conference

The following days, Thursday, June 12, and Friday, June, 13, were devoted to the State of Religious Freedom Conference, with discussions led by an impressive lineup of global leaders in law and religious freedom. Plenary sessions explored contemporary challenges in religious liberty, the role of judges in religious freedom cases, global litigation trends, and the intersection of antisemitism and higher education. Session speakers included Douglas Laycock, Robert E. Scott Distinguished Professor of Law Emeritus at the University of Virginia; Sam Brownback, former US ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom; Noel Francisco and Paul Clement, former solicitors general of the United States; and Vincent DeGaetano, Chief Justice Emeritus of Malta. Judicial perspectives were offered by Patrick Bumatay, judge of the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit; Ann Power, judge of the Court of Appeal of Ireland and former judge at the European Court of Human Rights; and Paulo Pinto de Albuquerque, former judge at the European Court of Human Rights. Concurrent panel sessions included Nootbaar fellows Rick Garnett, Paul J. Schierl/Fort Howard Corporation Professor of Law and concurrent professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame; Elizabeth Sepper, professor of law at the University of Texas at Austin School of Law; Barclay; and Sepinwall. Panel topics ranged from the examination of religious institutions and workplace accommodations to church-state separation and freedom of speech.

Guests walking a tree-lined pathway on the ch芒teau estate

Event organizers and attendees Michael Helfand, Brenden Mann Foundation Chair in Law and Religion and codirector of the Nootbaar Institute, and Danny DeWalt, senior vice president for global impact and chief of staff at 麻豆影院, described the conferences as a pivotal opportunity to highlight the institutes鈥� dedication to advancing scholarly dialogue that not only enriches academic discourse but also impacts public life.

鈥淎t 麻豆影院 Caruso School of Law, religious liberty isn鈥檛 just one topic among many鈥攊t鈥檚 a subject that demands and sustains the very best of what legal scholarship has to offer,鈥� said Helfand. 鈥淭hese gatherings reflect what makes our community distinctive鈥�-a commitment to serious, rigorous academic inquiry into the meaning and future of religious freedom.鈥�

DeWalt added, 鈥淕lobal impact has become one of 麻豆影院鈥檚 core values and priorities, and these opportunities bring the world together to tackle one of its greatest impediments to freedom for all people.鈥�

The conference was cohosted in partnership with the Centre for Law and Religious Freedom at Jagiellonian University in Krak贸w, Poland, with additional support from Founders鈥� First Freedom.