On April 12-13, 2007, The West Virginia University College of Law with the support of the American Constitution Society for Law & Policy presented a symposium entitled The Religion Clauses in the 21st Century. Papers from the symposium were published in the West Virginia Law Review, Issue I, Vol. 110.
Few subjects in American constitutional law capture the public’s interest and inflame its passions more than the First Amendment’s Religion Clauses. Whether the issue is state-sponsored religious expression, taxpayer funding of faith-based social service programs, or the proper balance between religious freedom and the regulatory state, disputes about the proper interpretation of the Establishment and Free Exercise Clauses continue to provoke public controversy and scholarly reexamination. The last two decades have seen significant changes in the Supreme Court’s interpretation of both Clauses, and now the U.S. Supreme Court led by new Chief Justice John Roberts is poised to put its own distinctive stamp on the law of church and state. The symposium brought together some of the nation’s preeminent scholars of law and religion to discuss the future of the Religion Clauses.
Special Interviews With the Panelists
The following video segments share opinions by select panelists who comment on a variety of topics related to the Religion Clauses.
(These videos will open in Windows Media Player by default. If you do not have the program, click here here to download it for free from Microsoft.com)
Lisa Brown
American Constitution Society
for Law and Policy
Historical Tensions in the Relationship
Between Church and State
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Angela C. Carmella
Seton Hall University School of Law
Religious Exemptions and the Common Good
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Frederick M. Gedicks
J. Reuben Clark Law School, BYU
Can Religious Symbols
Create Political Community
in 21st Century America
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Steven G. Gey
Florida State University School of Law
Life After the Establishment Clause
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Steven K. Green
Willamette University College of Law
The Demise of Bright Line
Rules about Government
Religious Expression
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Kent Greenawalt
Colombia University School of Law
Accommodation of Religion
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Douglas Laycock
University of Michigan School of Law
Deferring to Religious
Majorities in the Law of
Church and State
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Ira C. Lupu
George Washington University
Religious Differences,
Political Conflict,
and the Law
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Steven D. Smith
University of San Diego School of Law
Rethinking Assumptions
About Religious Liberty
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John E. Taylor
West Virginia University College of Law
Correcting Misconceptions
About the Religion Clauses
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Robert W. Tuttle
George Washington Law School
May Military Chaplains Offer
Sectarian Prayers at Official
Military Ceremonies?
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