Just Liberty

49: Some state adoption and foster agencies: “Christians need not apply” - with Lance Kinzer

Guest: Lance Kinzer, former Kansas State Rep, Dir. of Policy and Goverment Relations at the 1st Amendment Partnership
Show Notes: 
Website for 1st Amendment Partnership. https://1stamendmentpartnership.org
Resource: Confronting Religious Discrimination: A Guide for Foster and Adoptive Parents. https://adflegal.org/support/adoption-foster-care/

48: Is it time to shout "fire" on free speech? With Aaron Terr.

Almost every presidential administration in America's history--from John Adams to Joe Biden--has tried to push the constitutional limits when it comes to controlling or discouraging speech it dislikes. So what's different now? And why are so many free speech advocates sounding the alarm?   
Guest: Aaron Terr, attorney and Director of Public Advocacy at FIRE (the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression)
Show Notes
Articles by Aaron Terr:
"No President Gets to Decide Who Deserves a Lawyer" https://www.thefire.org/news/no-president-gets-decide-who-deserves-lawyer
"White House Barring AP from Press Events Violates the First Amendment"  https://www.thefire.org/news/white-house-barring-ap-press-events-violates-first-amendment
FIRE's Guide to Religious Liberty: https://www.thefire.org/defending-your-rights/religious-liberty
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X: @aaronterr1LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-terr-5a38051b9/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thefireorgInsta: https://www.instagram.com/thefireorg/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheFIREorg

47: Wading into the weeds - Catholic charter school Supreme Court case -with Todd McFarland.

Why is a church with a 150-year history of supporting church-state separation sitting out the much-debated St. Isidore charter school litigation, which implicates the First Amendment establishment clause? Answer: It's complicated.Guest:Todd McFarland, deputy general counsel, Seventh-day Adventist world churchShow Notes:Opinion of the Oklahoma Supreme Court: https://religiousliberty.nd.edu/assets/575311/1058190300_20240625_085757_.pdf
SCOTUSblog article providing background to the St. Isidore Charter School case: https://www.scotusblog.com/2025/01/supreme-court-will-weigh-in-on-effort-to-found-nations-first-religious-charter-school/
 

46: Skeptics of church-state separation versus the historical record - with Steven Green.

How can we make sense of competing visions for the role of religion in American governance? We can start by following the paper trail left by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.Guest: Steven K. Green, Professor of Law and Director of the Center for Religion, Law & Democracy, Willamette UniversityShow Notes: New book by Steven Green, The Grand Collaboration: Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and the Invention of American Religious Freedom. https://www.upress.virginia.edu/title/10018/
 

45: An "outsider's" perspective on Christianity and American democracy with Jonathan Rauch

What can a Jewish atheist teach us about the vital role Christianity plays in maintaining the health of the American republic?
Guest:
Jonathan Rauch, author and Brookings Institute fellow
Show Notes:
Book by Jonathan Rauch, Cross Purposes: Christianty's Broken Bargain with Democracy https://www.amazon.com/Cross-Purposes-Christianitys-Bargain-Democracy/dp/0300273541
 

44: A global trend we can't ignore. Interview with Aykan Erdemir.

History's lessons about antisemitism are fading from our collective memory. A new generation must grapple with this age-old form of hate and what it means for minorities of every kind in today's world.Guest: Aykan Erdemir, Anti-Defamation LeagueShow Notes: "The ADL Global 100 Index results: https://www.adl.org/adl-global-100-index-antisemitism Press release giving topline data from the global survey on antisemitism: https://www.adl.org/resources/press-release/46-adults-worldwide-hold-significant-antisemitic-beliefs-adl-poll-finds "

43: A final push on the teetering church-state wall? Interview with Frank Ravitch

Can the state of Oklahoma fully fund a Catholic charter school that exists to "evangelize" its students? The Supreme Court will soon say "yes" or "no" in a case that may overturn decades of church-state constitutional law.Guest: Frank Ravitch, Professor of law and religion, Michigan State University.Aykan Erdemir, Anti-Defamation LeagueShow Notes:"SCOTUSblog article providing background to the St. Isidore Charter School case: https://www.scotusblog.com/2025/01/supreme-court-will-weigh-in-on-effort-to-found-nations-first-religious-charter-school/ Opinion of the Oklahoma Supreme Court: https://religiousliberty.nd.edu/assets/575311/1058190300_20240625_085757_.pdf Liberty article by Frank Ravitch on the Supreme Court's current approach to religion cases: https://www.libertymagazine.org/article/untethered "

42: Mere presidential puffery? Or constitutional crisis? with David French.

As the Trump administration redraws the boundaries of executive authority, are we merely in the midst of a constitutional "adjustment"? Or are we staring down a constitutional crisis with long term implications for civil liberties?
Guest:
David French, New York Times columnist
Show Notes:
Advisory Opinions podcast: https://thedispatch.com/podcast/advisoryopinions/ Recent articles by David French in the New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/by/david-french#latest
 
 

41: Quakers, ICE, and "chilled expression" with Noah Merrill.

Houses of worship are no longer off-limits for immigration enforcement as the Trump administration pursues aggressive new policies. But some faith groups are drawing First Amendment lines and asking the courts to enforce them.
 
Guest:
Noah Merrill, Secretary, New England Yearly Meeting of Friends
 
Show Notes:
The legal complaint filed by Quakers and others against the new immigration enforcement policies: https://democracyforward.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Complaint.pdf
Background information to the case and preliminary injunction: https://www.friendsjournal.org/quakers-sue-immigration/ Website for the New England Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends: https://neym.org
 

40: The ABCs of faith in the classroom with Richard Foltin

Do public schools have to be faith-free zones? Or is this a misunderstanding of our Constitution's First Amendment? We delve into the dos and don'ts of religious expression at school, as well as the rationale for these guardrails.
Guest: Richard Foltin, Senior Fellow, Freedom Forum
Show Notes: "Freedom Forum's Guidelines for Religion in Public Schools: https://www.freedomforum.org/content/uploads/2025/01/religion-and-public-schools.pdf
Liberty magazine article on teaching human origins at school: https://www.libertymagazine.org/article/adam-and-eve-go-to-school
Liberty magazine article on Louisiana effort to place "In God We Trust" signs in classrooms: https://www.libertymagazine.org//article/pushing-the-boundaries