Long before America split into red and blue, it was divided by the visions of Hamilton and Jefferson. Their battle over power, liberty, and virtue helped define the nation’s character—and still shapes its conflicts today. This episode explores what their enduring feud reveals about democracy, leadership, and the fragile art of self-government. Show Notes Book | The Pursuit of Liberty by Jeffrey Rosen. https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Pursuit-of-Liberty/Jeffrey-Rosen/9781668053744  Website |  National Constitution Center https://constitutioncenter.org  Podcast | We the People https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/we-the-people/id83213431  *** Guest:  Jeffrey Rosen, President and CEO of the National Constitution Center LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffrey-rosen-1158829b/ YouTube, Insta, FB, X for National Constitution Center: @ConstitutionCtr   

Does government support for religion strengthen it—or weaken it? New global research reveals counterintuitive consequences for both the favored faith and minority religions. What can these findings teach Americans as they navigate debates over how government should interact with majority Christianity? Show Notes Article | Dan Koev, "What Can Ceasar Render Unto God?" Liberty magazine, September/October 2025. https://www.libertymagazine.org/article/what-can-caesar-render-unto-god  Website | https://dankoev.carrd.co  *** Dan Koev, Department Chair; Professor, Government & Criminal Justice, Regent University. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-koev-59526263/  Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/dankoev.bsky.social 

The Religious Liberty Commission, created by President Trump, has been hailed as a bold effort to protect faith. Whose voices are represented and is this body presenting a balanced view of America's constitutional, cultural, and religious heritage? This episode dives into the Commission’s hearings so far, and asks the question: how could its work shape the legal and policy landscape around religious liberty in coming years? Show Notes Website | Religious Liberty Commission/Department of Justice  https://www.justice.gov/religious-liberty-commission  Website | Liberty magazine https://www.libertymagazine.org/  *** Melissa Reid, associate director, Public Affairs and Religious Liberty, Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America FB, Insta, YouTube: @NADReligiousLiberty

International religious freedom is under pressure worldwide—and U.S. leadership is wavering. Knox Thames, veteran advocate and author of Ending Persecution, joins Just Liberty to discuss urgent global crises, the limits of traditional diplomacy, and practical strategies to reinvigorate the movement for conscience rights. Show Notes Book | Ending Persecution: Charting the Path to Global Religious Freedom by Knox Thames. https://undpress.nd.edu/9780268208677/ending-persecution/ Website | https://www.knoxthames.com Article | Knox Thames, "Sacred sites as a new way to advance pluralism and human rights," Open Global Rights, April 7, 2025.  https://www.openglobalrights.org/sacred-sites-as-a-new-way-to-advance-pluralism-and-human-rights/  **** Knox Thames, Senior Fellow at Pepperdine University X: @KnoxThames Linked: https://www.linkedin.com/in/knox-thames-7b46193/

Should a street preacher in Brandon, Mississippi, be allowed to challenge the constitutionality of a local ordinance that was used to silence his message? The Supreme Court has agreed to hear Olivier v. City of Brandon, a case that brings together core civil liberties: the freedom of speech, the free exercise of religion, and the fundamental right of individuals to access the courts. At stake is whether citizens can meaningfully challenge government actions that suppress religious expression in public spaces. Show Notes Article | "Supreme Court to consider reviving Mississippi evangelist’s challenge to protest ordinance," by Ella Lee. https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5383473-supreme-court-evangelists-challenge/ Case description | https://firstliberty.org/cases/gabriel-olivier/#simple1 Cert Petition | First Liberty brief asking Supreme Court to review Olivier v. City of Brandon. https://firstliberty.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Olivier-Cert.-Petition_Redacted.pdf Website | First Liberty Institute https://firstliberty.org *** Nate Kellum, Senior Counsel for First Liberty Institute FB: https://www.facebook.com/firstlibertyinstitute Insta: https://www.instagram.com/firstlibertyinstitute/ X: https://x.com/1stLiberty YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/FirstLibertyInstitute

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 ***** 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/  

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   ****   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/

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

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 

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. 

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/

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 *** 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

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/  

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/  

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  

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 "

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 "

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    

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  

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