HESBURGH LECTURE SERIES 2013 Program - Alumni Association ...

Richard W. Garnett, J.D.
Associate Dean for Faculty Development and Professor, Law
School; Concurrent Professor, Political Science; Fellow, Institute for
Educational Initiatives
Biography
Richard Garnett is a professor of law and concurrent professor of political science at the
University of Notre Dame, where he teaches and writes about criminal law, constitutional law,
religious freedom, and the freedom of speech. He received his B.A. in philosophy summa cum
Categories
laude from Duke University in 1990, and his J.D. from Yale Law School in 1995. Before coming
to Notre Dame, he served as a law clerk to Chief Justice William Rehnquist and to Chief Judge Education, Government, Law
Richard S. Arnold of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. He also practiced law
at the Washington, D.C. law firm of Miller, Cassidy, Larroca & Lewin, specializing in criminal
defense and religious liberty matters. Garnett’s scholarly work is in the areas of law and religion,
federalism, school choice, and the freedom of association. He has also participated in the
drafting of numerous amicus curiae briefs submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court in First Amendment cases, including Zelman v.
Simmons-Harris, the landmark school-voucher decision. He is the founding director of the Law Schools’ program on Church,
State, and Society. In 2011, he was asked to serve as a consultant to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ new
committee on Religious Liberty.
Lectures
Law, Religion, and Politics in the American Constitution and Tradition
Particularly in the wake of recent elections, the Pledge of Allegiance case, the contraception-coverage mandate, and the same-sex
marriage controversy, the always-bubbling debate about the appropriate role of religious believers and arguments in public life
has reached a full boil. Our Constitution, it is often said, prescribes a separation of church and state. How should we understand
this prescription, and what does it require of religious believers and institutions that engage in public and political life?
The Right Questions About School Choice: Education, Religious Freedom, and the Common
Good
It’s been nearly a decade since the Supreme Court ruled, in Zelman v. Simmons-Harris, that the Constitution permits state and
local governments to experiment with school-voucher programs, and to include religious schools in the menu of parents’ options.
What is the current state of the school-choice debate in the courts, in our legislatures, and in the public square? What questions
and concerns should shape our thinking about education reform and its connection to religious freedom?
Understanding the Constitution of the United States: A Citizen’s Guide and Appreciation
The Constitution of the United States has both evolved and endured. It not only specifies the limited powers of our national
government, it is also, in many ways, at the heart of our national character. How should we think about this text, this ongoing
experiment in ordered liberty, this imperfect yet inspiring achievement?
Recent political movements and high-profile court cases have highlighted the continuing significance of the charter originally
ratified by “We the People” more than two centuries ago. Today – whether the issue is the Affordable Care Act, military action
in Libya, drone attacks on terror suspects, religious liberty and contraception-coverage, or the appointment of various “czars” –
Americans argue passionately about our Constitution, but how well do we really know it? For most of us, the First Amendment
rings a bell, but what about the details of federal lawmaking, treaties, and appointments? This lecture provides an accessible
overview of, and “citizen’s guide” to, the history, content, and future of our Constitution.
40 The Hesburgh Lecture Series, 2013 Program