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Mattone Center Fellows Reflect on International Moot Court in Rome

Earlier this month, the Mattone Center Student Fellows had the privilege of traveling to Rome to participate in the ninth International Moot Court Competition in Law and Religion, held on March 13 and 14 at the St. John’s University Rome campus. The competition brought together teams from law schools from the United States and Europe, including teams from Italy, Poland, and Ukraine–about 100 participants in all. This marked the first time St. John’s has hosted the competition. Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil ’83, a member of the Mattone Center’s board, served as one of the judges at the competition.

The competition problem centered on a hypothetical dispute between a religious school, Thomas More School, and the government of the State of Utopia, which had enacted an “Equality in Education Act” alleged to infringe upon the school’s right to freely exercise its religious beliefs. The fellows were divided into two teams: Kalina Mesrobian ’26 and Stacey Kaliabakos ’27 represented the school, while Vincent D’Avanzo ’27 and Isabel Lane ’27 argued on behalf of the government. 

Being able to represent St. John’s in an international competition was an exciting and rewarding experience for our fellows. The fellows were were very fortunate to receive guidance from Center Director Mark Movsesian, St. John’s Law School Professor Robert Ruescher, and St. John’s Law alumnus James Herschlein, chair of the Litigation practice group at Arnold & Porter, who generously served as their coach and traveled to Rome to support the team in person. Their mentorship played a substantial role in helping our fellows grow their advocacy skills and confidence as they headed into the competition. 

Beyond the “courtroom,” the experience in Rome was truly unforgettable. Our fellows had the opportunity to form friendships with students from different countries, schools, and legal traditions, showing them how the answers to questions at the intersection of law and religion can vary across the globe. They were also able to explore some of Rome’s most iconic sites, including the Vatican Museums, the Galleria Borghese, the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, and the Colosseum. 

Participating in this competition was a unique experience that strengthened the fellows’ legal skills, as well as their sense of community within the international legal world.

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Around the Web

Here are some important law-and-religion news stories from around the web:

  • In Stinson et al v. Fayetteville School District No. 1, et al, regarding an Arkansas law that would require elementary schools to hang the Ten Commandments in classrooms, the Court granted a preliminary injunction enjoining certain school districts from complying with the law. 
  •  In Chaudry v. Thorsen, an Illinois District Court rejected any Establishment Clause claims against a high school teacher brought by the parents of a student, wherein the teacher provided resources to the student who was seeking to convert from Islam to Christianity. 
  • In a case in front of the Court of Justice of the European Union, the Court held that a German Catholic Organization could not dismiss one of its employees on the grounds of leaving the Catholic church.  
  • Earlier this week, the President’s Religious Liberty Commission held a hearing on the topic of religious liberty in the healthcare industry, discussing topics such as vaccine mandates and potential threats to religious liberties in the medical field. 
  • In Arizona Mining Reform Coalition v. U.S. Forest Service, the 9th Circuit again upheld a transfer of land, which includes ceremonial religious grounds of the Apache tribe, to a Copper Mining company. 
Posted on by Mark Movsesian

Breskaya et al., “A Sociology of Religious Freedom”

Here is an interesting looking book from Oxford that explores religious freedom from the perspective of sociology: “A Sociology of Religious Freedom,” by Professors Olga Breskaya and Giuseppe Giordan of the University of Padua and James Richardson of the University of Nevada. I’m looking forward to reading the sections on defining religious freedom, in particular. Here’s the description of the book from the Oxford website:

In recent years, the relevance of religious freedom has spread well beyond academia, becoming a reference point for international relations, multi-level policy development, as well as interfaith negotiations. Meanwhile, scholarship on religious freedom has flourished on the boundaries of sociology, law, comparative politics, history, and theology. This book presents a systematic sociological analysis of religious freedom, bringing together classical sociological theories and empirical perspectives developed during the last three decades. It addresses three major questions involved in any sociology of religious freedom. First: considering its complex and controversial nature, how can religious freedom be defined? Second: what are the recurrent sociological conditions and relevant social perceptions that will foster an understanding of religious freedom in varying political, legal, and socioreligious contexts? And third, what are the mechanisms of social implementation of religious freedom that contribute to making it a fundamental value in a society? Olga Breskaya, Giuseppe Giordan, and James T. Richardson suggest that a sociological definition of religious freedom requires us to take into account historical, philosophical, legal, religious, and political considerations of a given society-and that the social dimensions of religious freedom are as important as the legal ones.

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Mattone Center Hosts International Moot Court Competition in Rome

Last week, the Mattone Center Fellows competed in the 9th edition of the International Moot Court Competition in Law and Religion at the St. John’s campus in Rome. We are very proud of Kalina, Stacey, Vincent, and Isabel for their performances and hard work. Thank you also to Jim Herschlein for coaching our team and Judge Vyskocil, Judge Forrest, and Dr. Jeremy Gunn for judging the tournament. This was a truly special opportunity that the Center and its Fellows will never forget. 

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Around the Web

Here are some important law-and-religion news stories from around the web:

  • The Supreme Court has blocked a California policy that requires public schools to facilitate students’ gender transitions and keep it secret from parents.
  • In Childs v. Webster, the 7th Circuit held that there was not a violation of a Muslim inmate’s free exercise rights under RLUIPA or the 1st Amendment when his prison refused to distribute corrected prayer-time schedules to Muslim inmates.
  • In State of Washington v. Corporation of the Catholic Archbishop of Seattle, a Washington state appellate court allowed enforcement of a subpoena issued by the state Attorney General’s Office seeking from the Catholic Archdiocese evidence relating to clergy sexual abuse.
  • The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) declared that the State Department has failed to comply with the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA).
  • The Military Religious Freedom Foundation reported that it has received numerous complaints from military personnel that their commanders are describing the military operations against Iran in Christian eschatological terms.
  • Indiana Governor Mike Bruan signed House Enrolled Act 1389 which prohibits governmental discrimination in adoption and foster care matters.
  • An investigation into the Catholic Diocese of Providence, Rhode Island, shows that an estimated 75 priests have abused more than 300 children since 1950.

Posted on by Mark Movsesian

Legal Spirits 075: A Short Take on the Louisiana 10 Commandments Case

Louisiana Authorities Announce the New 10 Commandments Policy (CNN)

A couple of weeks ago, the en banc 5th Circuit vacated on ripeness grounds a lower court ruling that Louisiana’s law requiring placement of the 10 Commandments in public school classrooms violates the Establishment Clause. In this short take, Mattone Center Director Mark Movsesian explains what the case is all about, and the significance of the en banc court’s decision. Listen in!

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Mattone Center for Law and Religion & St. John’sJournal of Catholic Legal Studies Co-Host Annual Symposium

On Thursday, the Mattone Center for Law and Religion co-hosted its annual symposium with the St. John’s Journal of Catholic Legal Studies. This year’s event featured commentary by Chris Lund (Wayne State) and Eric Rassbach (Becket) on the recent Ten Commandments case from the Fifth Circuit. 

The program also included a thoughtful Q&A with the presenters and remarks from Dean Jefferson Exum of St. John’s Law. Thank you to our speakers and all who joined us for an engaging and timely discussion. 

Posted on by Mark Movsesian

Movsesian to Lecture at University of Padua Next Week

I’m very much looking forward to lecturing at the University of Padua next week on judicial review in the United States. Thanks to my friend, Professor Andrea Pin, for the kind invitation to meet with his law students. Details below. Friends of the Forum, please stop by and say hello!

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Around the Web

Here are some important law-and-religion news stories from around the web:

  • The U.S. and Israel carried out strikes on Iranian leadership and military targets, and Iran responded with missile and drone attacks on Israel and U.S. bases in the region. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed in the initial attack.
  • St. John’s University said it will withdraw recognition of its faculty unions, writing that it had become clear the school lacked “the flexibility required to fulfill its Catholic-centered mission” while core academic decisions were tied to collective bargaining. 
  • Two Jewish advocacy organizations filed suit Thursday against California, its Department of Education, and state officials, alleging that authorities failed to address widespread antisemitic harassment targeting Jewish and Israeli students on campus. 
  • Attorney General Pam Bondi announced federal civil rights charges against 30 additional individuals in connection with a January protest inside a Minnesota church where a pastor works for ICE, stating that 25 people are in custody and more arrests are expected. 
  • The New York City Council held its first hearing this week on a package of bills focused on protecting houses of worship and schools and addressing antisemitism and other religious hate. The proposals, part of Speaker Julie Menin’s action plan, would require the NYPD to create a response plan for credible threats that block access to religious institutions and schools. 
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Emory’s Center for the Study of Law and Religion to Host Summer Institute

From July 13 to 26, Emory University’s Center for the Study of Law and Religion will host a residential summer institute for higher education faculty on the fundamentals of law and religion for humanistic research and teaching. Each day of the institute will feature introductions to key themes in law and religion scholarship, case studies in the field, and panel discussions on texts and methods. Participants will also have the opportunity to workshop a scholarly project in progress with their peers. 

The Institute will be led by project co-leads Whittney Barth and Silas Allard of Emory University’s Center for the Study of Law and Religion, with guest faculty drawn from leading institutions in law, religious studies, and history. A full list of faculty is available here. 

For more information and application details, visit the official Institute website.