The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life,

The Federalist Society and

The Constitution Project present:

Hein, One Year Later:

The Future of Church-State Litigation

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Noon – 2:00 p.m.

The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

1615 L Street, NW, Suite 700

Washington, D.C. 20036

Lunch provided

Speakers:

Alex Luchenitser

Senior Litigation Counsel, Americans United for Separation of Church and State

Ira “Chip” Lupu

F. Elwood and Eleanor Davis Professor of Law, The George Washington University Law School

Walter Weber

Senior Litigation Counsel, American Center for Law and Justice

Moderator:

Robert Tuttle

David R. and Sherry Kirschner Berz Research Professor of Law and Religion, The George Washington University Law School

Last June, in Hein v. Freedom From Religion Foundation (2007), the U.S. Supreme Court made it more difficult for courts to enforce the Establishment Clause’s restrictions on government funding of religion. In Hein, the high court ruled that unless a legislative body has specifically directed funding to a religious organization or activity, citizens do not have the right as taxpayers to bring a suit in federal court alleging that the funding violates the Establishment Clause. Although the Hein decision was limited to the narrow issue of when taxpayers have legal standing, the ruling has much broader policy implications, because it permits the government to fund religious organizations and activities without fear of constitutional litigation.

One year later, how have courts interpreted Hein? How will Hein affect the future direction of lawsuits involving the funding of religion? What insight does Hein provide into how the current Supreme Court justices view church-state litigation?

Please join us for a discussion of these and other issues with Alex Luchenitser, Senior Litigation Counsel for Americans United for Separation of Church and State; Chip Lupu, F. Elwood and Eleanor Davis Professor of Law at The George Washington University Law School; and Walter Weber, Senior Litigation Counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice.

To register, contact Liga Plaveniece at lplaveniece@pewforum.org or (202) 419-4586.

The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life delivers timely, impartial information on issues at the intersection of religion and public affairs. The Forum is a non-partisan, non-advocacy organization and does not take positions on policy debates. Based in Washington, D.C., the Forum is a project of the Pew Research Center, which is funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts.

Permalink |  Send to a friend |  Print friendly