The Supreme Court's Recent Religion Cases

The Supreme Court's Recent Religion Cases
A Discussion Between Two of the Leading Lawyers on Religion and Law
Moderated by Attorney & OLLI Instructor Doug Mishkin

Wednesday, October 7 at 6pm Eastern
Free & online via Zoom: registration required

Within 12 days this past summer, the U.S. Supreme Court decided three cases involving the relationship between government and religion: May a state forbid tax-supported scholarships to religious private schools? (Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue) Must organizations with religious objections to contraceptive insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act give notice that they won't provide that coverage if, as a result, the coverage would then be provided another way? (Little Sisters of the Poor Saints Peter and Paul Home v. Pennsylvania)  And are private religious schools exempt from anti-discrimination laws in employing teachers with religious responsibilities? (Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru)

Walter Weber of the American Center for Law and Justice and Richard Katsee of Americans United for Separation of Church and State are two of the nation's leading lawyers on issues of religion and the law.  Their organizations filed opposing briefs in these three cases. Join us Wednesday, October 7th at 6pm Eastern on Zoom to hear them discuss and debate these cases in a free 90 minute online conversation moderated by attorney and OLLI instructor Doug Mishkin. 

Free & open to all. Click here to register.

Walter M. Weber, a New Jersey native, received his bachelor’s degree from Princeton in 1981 and his law degree from the Yale Law School in 1984. After summer internships with Americans United for Life and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Walter worked as a staff attorney with the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights (based in Milwaukee) and then Free Speech Advocates (based in Kentucky). Since 1993, he has been an attorney with the American Center for Law & Justice. Walter specializes in constitutional law, particularly the First Amendment, and focuses on appellate practice, especially in the U.S. Supreme Court. Walter recently authored his 147th Supreme Court brief. 

American Center for Law & Justice on Espinoza: https://aclj.org/school-choice/big-victory-in-supreme-court-school-choice-case

American Center for Law & Justice on Guadalupe: https://aclj.org/religious-liberty/significant-win-for-religious-schools-religious-liberty-and-the-ministerial-exception-at-the-supreme-court

American Center for Law & Justice on Little Sisters: https://aclj.org/obamacare/supreme-court-vindicates-little-sisters-of-the-poor-against-the-abortion-pill-mandate

Richard B. Katskee is Legal Director at Americans United for Separation of Church and State, where he litigates cases under the First Amendment’s Establishment, Free Exercise, and Free Speech Clauses. Previously, Richard was a member of the Supreme Court & Appellate practice at Mayer Brown LLP and was Deputy Director of the Program Legal Group in the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (where he led development of policy implementing federal anti-discrimination laws). Richard received his J.D. from the Yale Law School, his A.M. in political science from Harvard University, and his A.B. with highest distinction and high honors from the University of Michigan. He clerked for Judge Stephen Reinhardt on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and for Judge Guido Calabresi on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. He has taught church–state law at the American University Washington College of Law and ethics at the John F. Kennedy School of Government and Harvard College. He is a member of the American Law Institute, an adviser to the Restatement of the Law: Children and the Law, and a Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellow. He serves on the Board of Advisors for the National Museum of American Religion and was previously on the Board of Directors for the National Center for Science Education.  

Americans United for Separation of Church and State on Espinoza: https://www.au.org/sites/default/files/2020-07/Religious%20Freedom%20After%20Espinoza%207.2.20_1.pdf

Americans United for Separation of Church and State on Little Sisters: https://www.au.org/sites/default/files/2020-07/Supreme%20Court%20%26%20Birth%20Control%20Access%20Report%207.10.20.pdf

Americans United for Separation of Church and State on Guadalupe: https://www.au.org/sites/default/files/2020-07/Supreme%20Court%20%26%20Minsterial%20Exception%20Report%207.10.20.pdf

Moderator: Douglas B. Mishkin  holds degrees from George Washington University Law School and Brown University, and is Of Counsel for Heisler, Feldman & McCormick, P.C. in Springfield, Mass, serving low and moderate income clients in cases involving tenant's rights, employee rights, employment and housing discrimination, and consumer protection cases.  His practice includes litigating landmark pro bono cases for the Washington Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs and for Americans United for Separation of Church and State.  He also served for many years as an officer and faculty member for the National Courts and Sciences Institute, which trains judges nationwide on issues of science in the courtroom, and as a member of the George Washington University Hospital Ethics Committee.  He was the Constitution Day speaker at Bard College at Simon’s Rock (2017) and Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (2016), has been interviewed on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered and CBS’ Early Show, and is the recipient of numerous Super Lawyers and similar awards from legal publications.  Mr. Mishkin is admitted to practice in Massachusetts, the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia.

Free & open to all. Click here to register.