Richard W. Garnett, associate dean for faculty research, professor of law, and concurrent professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame, will address the state of religious freedom in the United States during the Stranahan Lecture at The University of Toledo College of Law.

The free, public talk begins at noon Tuesday, March 26, in the McQuade Law Auditorium.

In a lecture titled, “Challenges to Religious Freedom in America Today,” Garnett will consider the rights of religious believers and institutions versus governmental action, and their respective roles in American public life today.

“Professor Garnett’s topic is particularly timely given recent legal and political debates over the role of religion in American public life,” said Lee J. Strang, professor of law at the College of Law. “From the recent HHS mandate regarding health insurance coverage for birth control and the morning-after pill, to recent declines in religious affiliation and practice among Americans, both religious and nonreligious Americans are asking themselves, ‘What role should religion play in American public life?’ Professor Garnett’s lecture will tackle this thorny question head-on and is sure to provoke thought and conversation.”

Professor Garnett teaches and writes about the freedoms of speech, association, and religion. He is a leading authority on the role of religious believers and institutions in politics and society. He is the author of dozens of law review articles and book chapters, and his book, Two There Are: Understanding the Separation of Church and State, will be published by Cambridge University Press.

Garnett is regularly invited to share analysis and commentary in national print and broadcast media, including the Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, USA Today, Fox News, and MSNBC, among many others, and he regularly contributes to several law-related blogs, including Mirror of Justice and PrawfsBlawg. He is also the founding director of Notre Dame Law School’s Program in Church, State, and Society.

Professor Garnett clerked for the late-Chief Justice of the United States William H. Rehnquist and also for the late-Chief Judge Richard S. Arnold of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.

Click here to download a photo of Garnett.

Stranahan National Issues Forum
The Stranahan National Issues Forum is a joint program of The University of Toledo College of Law and its chapter of the Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies. It is made possible by an endowment from the Stranahan Foundation. The Forum’s purpose is to address issues of national importance through the lens of the American legal system, and Professor Garnett joins a long list of high-profile speakers who have delivered the Stranahan Lecture at Toledo Law.

Parking
Reserved parking for lecture attendees is available in Lot 25, which is adjacent to Rocket Hall. Visitors can access Lot 25 from Secor Road using College Drive.

Media Coverage
The Blade (March 23, 2013)

Tags: College of Law