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Mattone Center for Law and Religion Welcomes 2025-2026 Student Fellows

Each year, the Denise ’90 and Michael ’91 Mattone Center for Law and Religion selects student fellows who contribute to the Center’s mission of providing an unrivaled forum for exploring law and religion from domestic, international, and comparative perspectives.

This year’s fellows are Vincent D’Avanzo ’27, Anastasia Kaliabakos ‘27, Isabel Lane ’27, and returning fellow Kalina Mesrobian ’26. They look forward to playing an active role in the Center’s offerings. Among other responsibilities, they will contribute to the Center’s blog, the Law and Religion Forum, where their weekly “Around the Web” posts will cover timely church-and-state issues. They will also edit episodes of the Legal Spirits podcast and manage the Center’s social media presence.

For further details about the Center and its newest fellows, visit the St. John’s University website.

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Around the Web

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

  • The 9th Circuit rejected claims that a fire department in Washington State violated Title VII and state law when they refused to accommodate employees’ request for religious exemptions from the state’s Covid vaccine mandate for all healthcare providers.
  • The 6th Circuit affirmed the dismissal of claims that an Ohio school’s policy on the use of communal bathrooms by transgender students violated the free exercise rights of Muslim and Christian students and parents.
  • Two families field suit in a Massachusetts federal district court challenging a policy of the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families that would require foster parents to agree to “support, respect, and affirm the foster child’s sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression.” The families assert that the policy unconstitutionally forces them to “speak against their core religious beliefs,” regulates speech based on content and viewpoint, and is discriminatory towards religious persons.
  • A California federal district court granted summary judgment to a Jehovah’s Witness who wished to attach an Addendum to the oath she was required to take as an employee of the State Controller’s Office, as she believed the oath, as currently written, violated her religious beliefs.
  • A New Mexico federal district court held that two members of a healthcare sharing ministry have standing to challenge an order barring them from operating in the state on free exercise grounds.
  • Senate Bill 11, passed by the Texas legislature in May 2025, establishes a structure that school districts may adopt to provide a daily prayer service and reading of the Bible/other religious text in school with parental consent. The bill took effect on September 1st, and Texas AG Ken Paxton promptly issued a press release in which he “encourages children to begin with the Lord’s Prayer[.]”
  • Following the tragic shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis, Jason Adkins, the executive director of the Minnesota Catholic Conference, appeared on “EWTN News In Depth,” where he called out state lawmakers for ignoring the pleas of Minnesota Catholic leaders for security funding for local nonpublic schools.

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Legal Spirits 070: Religion & Realism: The New US Role in Armenia

Map: The Conversation

In Episode 70 of Legal Spirits, Center Director Mark Movsesian speaks with Dan Harre, Deputy Director of Save Armenia, about a significant—and controversial—draft agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Brokered last month at the White House, the terms reflect a major realignment in the region: Armenia relinquishes any claim to Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan backs off earlier demands for extraterritorial control, and the United States gains a 99-year lease on a key new transit route.

The episode explores how U.S. foreign policy, Christian advocacy, and strategic infrastructure intersect in the South Caucasus. Dan offers a perspective from within the U.S. advocacy world—one shaped by a broader movement to defend Christian communities in places like Iraq and Syria. The episode also considers how groups like Save Armenia navigate diplomatic tensions between Armenia and Israel, and how this moment relates to past decisions about American involvement in Armenian affairs, including the post-WWI mandate the U.S. ultimately declined.

What role did American Christian organizations play in this deal? What’s in it for the United States? And is this a turning point in Armenia’s future? Listen in!

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Around the Web

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

  • A federal district judge ruled in Loe v. Jett that colleges that require students to sign statements of faith cannot be excluded from a state funding program. 
  • The Department of Health and Human Services is exerting more pressure on the state of West Virginia to recognize religious exemptions regarding the state public school system’s vaccine requirements. 
  • In Miller v. Civil Rights Division, a petition for certiorari was filed in the case regarding California’s anti-discrimination provisions. 
  • A teacher at a Connecticut school remains suspended from teaching for refusing to hide her crucifix in the classroom, sparking a legal battle. 
  • In New Jersey, a town has abandoned construction plans, which would have required seizing church property through eminent domain. 
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Call for Papers: Seton Hall University School of Law

The Program on Faith, Values, and the Rule of Law (FVRoL) at Seton Hall University School of Law is requesting submissions for its inaugural academic conference to occur on February 4-5 2026 at the school’s Newark, New Jersey campus.

  • Paper Topic: The conference is seeking papers that explore the relationship between faith, values, and the rule of law, drawing on religious, theological, philosophical, and historical perspectives to address contemporary threats such as nationalism, authoritarianism, and disinformation. Submissions should offer both conceptual insights and, where possible, practical proposals for how religious and philosophical traditions can contribute to strengthening justice, dignity, and peace in a pluralistic world.
  • Paper Proposals: The deadline for paper abstracts is November 1, 2025. 
  • Paper Submission: There is no publication requirement, although FVRoL may seek a suitable venue for publication of selected papers.
  • Contact: To submit an abstract for consideration, please use this form. If you have any questions, please contact Brett Canaval, Administrative Director of the Program on Faith, Values, and the Rule of Law, at brett.canaval@shu.edu.
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Around the Web

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

  • The West Virginia Board of Education has taken its challenge to the state Supreme Court after a lower court upheld a religious exemption to mandatory school immunizations. The outcome could shape how courts balance public health mandates against religious objections.
  • A federal district judge has issued a preliminary injunction stopping a new Texas law that would require the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public school classrooms, citing concerns over religious coercion and constitutional violations.
  • The Ninth Circuit has paused the sale of the Oak Flat sacred site in Arizona, a location of religious significance to Indigenous groups. The court’s emergency action underscores the tension between cultural heritage and resource development.
  • A Connecticut public school teacher remains barred from the classroom after refusing to remove a crucifix. She argues that her First Amendment rights are being violated, particularly in light of recent favorable rulings regarding religious expression by educators.
  • A proposed Texas Senate bill aims to restrict access to abortion pills and amend the state’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Critics argue the changes could undermine religious protections, especially for groups that advocate for reproductive rights.
  • A compelling study by Mariam Wahba at The Free Press details how Egypt is imposing strict controls on what is widely considered the world’s oldest Christian monastery. The author explores legal and political maneuvers that threaten the monastery’s autonomy and deeply rooted religious heritage.
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Around the Web

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

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Around the Web

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

  • A proposed bill would safeguard the citizenship of any American pope and exempt him from taxes while serving. 
  • A federal judge allowed a psychedelic mushroom-using religious group’s lawsuit against Provo City and Utah County to proceed and paused the criminal case against its founder. 
  • A federal district judge blocked an Arkansas law mandating the display of the Ten Commandments in classrooms. 
  • In Jumilla, Spain, a new law bans the use of city sports facilities for cultural, social, or religious activities not organized by the City Council. 
  • The Trump administration has released new guidelines reminding federal agencies that religious expression in the workplace is protected.  
  • The Chinese Communist Party announced new restrictions on religious practice by foreigners in mainland China. 
  • President Trump issued an executive order requiring banks to prevent and address politicized or unlawful debanking based on customers’ political or religious beliefs or lawful business activities. 

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Legal Spirits 069: The Consent of the Governed

Source: National Archives

In this episode of Legal Spirits, Center Director Mark Movsesian talks with legal scholar Steven D. Smith about a question that goes to the heart of American law and politics: What happens when people stop believing in “the consent of the governed”? Drawing on Smith’s new paper, The Collapse of Consent, they explore how this once-powerful idea has shifted over time—from a principle rooted in natural law and divine authority to a secular fiction that’s becoming harder to sustain. In an increasingly polarized society, can America’s founding narrative still hold us together? A deep and thought-provoking conversation about legitimacy, identity, and the future of our legal order.

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Around the Web

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

  • In Frankel v. Regents of the University of California, the federal government and University of California reached a settlement regarding Anti-Semitism charges.
  • In Jordan v. Rubio, a D.C. federal district court found that the State Department violated RFRA by denying the plaintiff a passport when she refused to provide a birth certificate for religious reasons.
  • In United States v. Safehouse, the 3rd Circuit held that RFRA and the Free Exercise clause apply to corporate entities that exercise religion. 
  • In Kane v. City of New York, petition for certiorari was filed where the 2nd Circuit affirmed denial of religious exemptions for Covid vaccine mandates on public school staff. 
  • Two state tuition assistance programs in Virginia have denied grants to various students pursuing educational programs based on religious training.
  • In Washington, a federal court blocked a law that would require priests to face jail time or break the “seal of confession” regarding reports of abuse.