Symposium: Religious liberty before the Supreme Court
Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia v. Pauley
WHO: Attorneys with Alliance Defending Freedom, the Jones Day law firm, and the American Civil Liberties Union; Supreme Court correspondents from The New York Times and USA Today
WHAT: “American Culture on Appeal” symposium series: “Religious liberty before the Supreme Court”
WHEN: Friday, Sept. 16, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. EDT
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
ADMISSION FREE, LUNCH PROVIDED
Only one religious freedom case is currently before the Supreme Court this upcoming term: Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia v. Pauley. Trinity Lutheran is a case about a religious preschool that was rejected from a state program that provides reimbursement grants to purchase rubberized surface material (tire scraps) for children’s playgrounds. The preschool was ultimately denied the grant for its playground solely because the playground belongs to a religious organization. At its core, the Trinity Lutheran playground case strikes at the heart of American jurisprudence, asking: What is fair play in a pluralistic society?
Join legal experts from Alliance Defending Freedom, Jones Day, and the American Civil Liberties Union for a two-panel conversation, including Q&A, on Constitution Day examining the implications of Trinity Lutheran and treatment of religious freedom and conscience rights by our nation’s highest court:
Panel I: “Tire Scraps and Religious Liberty: Defining fair play on a preschool playground at the Court.”
- Moderator: Adam Liptak, Supreme Court correspondent, The New York Times
- David Cortman, senior counsel and vice president of US Litigation, Alliance Defending Freedom
- C. Kevin Marshall, partner, Jones Day
- Daniel Mach, director of ACLU program on freedom of religion and belief, American Civil Liberties Union
- Moderator: Rich Wolf, Supreme Court correspondent, USA Today
- Kristen Waggoner, senior counsel and senior vice president of US legal advocacy, Alliance Defending Freedom
- Steffen N. Johnson, partner, Winston & Strawn
- Louise Melling, deputy legal director and director of Center for Liberty, American Civil Liberties Union
- Event schedule and registration page | Live stream of event
- Video: “Trinity Lutheran Child Learning Center” (2:04)
- Case resource page: Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia v. Pauley
Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization that advocates for the right of people to freely live out their faith.
Related Resources
ABOUT Kristen Waggoner
As the CEO, president, and general counsel of Alliance Defending Freedom, Kristen Waggoner leads the faith-based organization in advancing every person's God-given right to live and speak the truth in the U.S. and around the world. She oversees more than 450 ADF team members in 10 global offices. Since 2011, ADF has won 15 cases at the U.S. Supreme Court, three of which were argued by Waggoner: Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, Uzuebgunam v. Presczewski, and 303 Creative v. Elenis. ADF also has a strong record of international success at the European Court of Human Rights, United Nations, and other leading courts and tribunals and has secured the release of more than 1,000 imprisoned Christians. After clerking with Washington Supreme Court Justice Richard B. Sanders, Waggoner practiced law for over 16 years at a Seattle firm before joining ADF in 2013. She is Peer Review Rated AV® Preeminent™ in Martindale-Hubbell. Waggoner is a sought-after public speaker who often appears in national and international media outlets.
ABOUT David Cortman
David A. Cortman serves as senior counsel and vice president of U.S. litigation with Alliance Defending Freedom. He has been practicing law since 1996, and currently supervises a team of over 40 attorneys and legal staff who specialize in constitutional law, focusing on religious freedom, sanctity of life, and marriage and family. Cortman has litigated hundreds of constitutional law cases including two victories at the U.S. Supreme Court. In Trinity Lutheran Church v. Comer, he secured a 7-2 victory that overturned Missouri’s denial of a religious school’s participation in a state funding program. Cortman also argued Reed v. Town of Gilbert, securing a 9-0 ruling that prohibits the government from discriminating against religious speech. A member of the bar in Georgia, Florida, Arizona, and the District of Columbia, he is also admitted to practice in over two dozen federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court. Cortman obtained his J.D. magna cum laude from Regent University School of Law.
ABOUT Jordan Lorence
Jordan Lorence serves as senior counsel and director of strategic engagement with Alliance Defending Freedom where he plays a key role with the Strategic Relations and Training Team. His work encompasses a broad range of litigation, with a primary focus on religious liberty, freedom of speech, student privacy, conscience rights of creative professionals, and the First Amendment freedoms of public university students and professors. Since 1984, he has represented litigation clients across the nation. Lorence earned a J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1980. He is admitted to the bar in Minnesota, Virginia, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Supreme Court, and multiple federal appellate and district courts.