Just Liberty

53: Dreadlocks and Damages: Religious Liberty Behind Bars. Interview with Steve McFarland and Todd McFarland.

What legal recourse does a Rastafarian inmate have when prison officials forcibly shave his head, violating his religious beliefs? The Supreme Court is preparing to weigh in on Landor v. Louisiana Department of Corrections, a case that could clarify whether government officials can be held personally liable for violating religious liberty rights—even behind bars. The outcome could have lasting implications for people of faith well beyond the prison walls.
Show Notes
Article | "Court to decide whether government officials can be held personally liable for violating inmate’s religious liberty," by Amy Howe. //www.scotusblog.com/2025/06/court-to-decide-whether-government-officials-can-be-held-personally-liable-for-violating-inmates-religious-liberty/
Case description | https://www.christianlegalsociety.org/case/landor-v-louisiana-department-of-corrections-public-safety/
Amicus brief | Christian Legal Society brief in support of Damon Landor. https://www.christianlegalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/CLS-Landor-brief-filed.pdf
Website | Christian Legal Society https://www.christianlegalsociety.org
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Steve McFarland is the director of the Center for Law & Religious Freedom, Christian Legal Society.
Todd McFarland is the deputy general counsel, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.
FB: https://www.facebook.com/clsnet/
Insta: https://www.instagram.com/christian_legal_society/
 

52: The Classroom and the Constitution. Interview with Will Haun.

Does a parent’s right to direct their child’s religious upbringing end at the classroom door? As debates over public school curricula intensify across the country, a recent Supreme Court decision offers new insight into how far school districts must go to respect the religious freedom rights of parents. In this episode, we explore the legal landscape surrounding parental authority in education—and what this ruling could mean for the future of faith, family, and public schooling.
Show Notes
Article | "Pride and Prejudice" by Celeste Perrino. https://www.libertymagazine.org/article/pride-and-prejudice
Article | "When Inclusion Becomes Compulsion" by Asma Uddin. https://www.scotusblog.com/2025/07/when-inclusion-becomes-compulsion-mahmoud-v-taylor-pluralism-and-public-education/
Supreme Court decision | Mahmoud v. Taylor https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/24-297_4f14.pdf
Website | Becket Fund for Religious Liberty www.becketfund.org
 
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William J. Haun is Senior Counsel at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty and a Nonresident Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.
 
X: https://x.com/becketfund
FB: https://www.facebook.com/becketfund
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/BecketFundVideo
Insta: https://www.instagram.com/becketfund/

51: The Bewitching of the American Mind. Interview with Molly Worthen.

It's far more than simply charm, or rhetorical skill, or political savvy. Charisma is a powerful force that has shaped American public and religious life--for both good and ill--for more than four centuries. Could an undertanding of this phenomenon help us make better sense of our national story? And why does it seem that Americans of faith are particularly vulnerable to its allure? 
Show Notes
Book | Spellbound: How Charisma Shaped American History from the Puritans to Donald Trump, by Molly Worthen - https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/746737/spellbound-by-molly-worthen/
Article | "Charisma Rules the World" by Molly Worthen, New York Times (June 16, 2025) -  https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/16/opinion/charisma-history-trump.html

50: A New Era for American Catholicism? Interview with Darryl G. Hart

A baseball-loving American now sits on the papal throne, a fascinating new wrinkle in the long history of the Roman Catholic Church. What does it mean to have an American pope? We explore the history of American Catholicism, from its early struggles in a predominantly Protestant nation to its eventual integration into public life, along with its complex and sometimes uneasy relationship with American democracy.
Guest: Daryl Hart, Associate Professor of History at Hillsdale College
Show Notes
Book | Benjamin Franklin: Cultural Protestant by D.G. Hart - https://global.oup.com/academic/product/benjamin-franklin-9780198788997?cc=us&lang=en&
Book | American Catholic: The Politics of Faith During the Cold War by D.G. Hart - https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501700576/american-catholic/
Article | "Between Rome and the Republic" by D.G. Hart, Liberty magazine (July-August 2025) - https://www.libertymagazine.org/article/between-rome-and-the-republic 

Just Liberty Returns on July 22 with Season 4

We're taking a little break. But we'll be back with Season 4 on July 22. 
Check out Liberty Magazine at libertymagazine.org for more conversations about religious 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