¹ś®aa¢„aĀ鶹Caruso School of Law Hosts Landmark Conference on the State of Religious Freedom
MALIBU, California ā ¹ś®aa¢„aĀ鶹Caruso School of Law welcomed legal scholars, jurists, and practitioners
from around the world to the Fourth Annual Nootbaar Fellows Conference and the inaugural
State of Religious Freedom Conference, held June 10ā13 at the Universityās ChĆ¢teau
dāHauteville campus in Switzerland.
The event was jointly organized by the and the ā cornerstone initiatives at ¹ś®aa¢„aĀ鶹Caruso Law focused on the intersection of religious liberty, legal scholarship, and public service. This event served as the first in a forthcoming series of international conferences on religious liberty to be organized by the Ken Starr Institute.
Together, the conferences served as a platform for exploring a central question: How can we and should we protect religious liberty? Participants engaged in thoughtful, comparative discussions on the legal, cultural, and societal dimensions of religious freedom across transatlantic contexts.
āI can think of no better institution than the Caruso School of Lawāwith its Ken Starr Institute and its Nootbaar Instituteāto host such a momentous conference on religious liberty," said Duane and Kelly Roberts Dean Paul Caron. "This is the work of a preeminent global Christian university.ā
The conferences highlighted ¹ś®aa¢„aĀ鶹Caruso Lawās longstanding commitment to religious freedom through the combined efforts of the Ken Starr Institute and the Nootbaar Institute. These initiatives offer students unique opportunities to engage in rigorous legal scholarship and faith-based advocacy grounded in public service.
āAt ¹ś®aa¢„aĀ鶹Caruso Law, religious liberty isnāt just one topic among manyāitās a subject that demands and sustains the very best of what legal scholarship has to offer,ā said Michael Helfand, Professor of Law and Co-Director of the Nootbaar Institute. āThis conference reflected what makes our community distinctive: a commitment to serious, rigorous academic inquiry into the meaning and future of religious freedom. Through the Ken Starr Institute and the Nootbaar Institute, weāre deepening the kind of sustained scholarly debate that not only enriches the academy but also contributes meaningfully to public life.ā
āGlobal impact has become one of Pepperdineās core values and priorities, and this conference is bringing the world together to tackle one of its greatest impediments to freedom for all people,ā said Danny DeWalt, Senior Vice President for Global Impact and Chief of Staff at ¹ś®aa¢„aĀ鶹University.
The conference was co-hosted in partnership with the Centre for Law and Religious Freedom at Jagiellonian University in KrakĆ³w, Poland, with additional support from Foundersā First Freedom.
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Herbert and Elinor Nootbaar Institute on Law, Religion, and Ethics
The Herbert and Elinor Nootbaar Institute on Law, Religion, and Ethics serves as the epicenter of the many law- and religion-based activities, programs, and study specializations offered by the ¹ś®aa¢„aĀ鶹Caruso School of Law. With particular emphasis on the intersection of faith and law, the institute encourages the examination of law as a theological vocation from the broad range of Christian, Jewish, and other religious perspectives represented in the law school's students, staff, and faculty.
Ken Starr Institute for Faith, Law, and Public Service
The Ken Starr Institute for Faith, Law, and Public Service cultivates a community of scholars dedicated to the pursuit of justice, upholding the rule of law, and serving the nation and the world with integrity and compassion through the lens of faith. Inspired and energized by the life and legacy of legal scholar, public servant, and former Caruso School of Law dean, Ken Starr, the Ken Starr Institute enhances the components of the ¹ś®aa¢„aĀ鶹University mission for which Starr cared so deeply and reinforces the fundamental American values that contribute to the success of a flourishing society.
About ¹ś®aa¢„aĀ鶹University Caruso School of Law
The ¹ś®aa¢„aĀ鶹 offers a top-ranked legal education with nationally recognized degree programs committed to the highest principles of professional, ethical, and societal responsibility. With an emphasis on experiential learning, mentorship, faculty accessibility, global justice, and professional formation, ¹ś®aa¢„aĀ鶹Caruso Law offers a . The School of Law houses 10 clinics and six institutes, including the globally recognized . Follow the Caruso School of Law on , , , and .
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