Pre-law students hear from prominent lawyers and speakers
Students within the pre-law program in the Helms School of Government heard from several prominent lawyers and speakers during the second Legal & Public Policy Forum on March 28 in Washington, D.C.
The event gave students a chance to learn about two religious liberty Supreme Court cases: Groff v. DeJoy and
303 Creative v. Elenis.
Tim Goeglein, vice president of external and government relations for Focus on the Family, was one of the co-hosts for the event. Goeglein also served as special assistant to President George W. Bush from 2001-2008.
“There is not one other country in all of the world that has as much religious liberty as we do,” Goeglein said. “In fact, many of the other western nations, when you delve into their body of law — it’s often not as guarded or protected as it is in the
United States.”
Students began the day by hearing from Carrie Severino, president of the Judicial Crisis Network, and her husband Roger Severino, who served as director of the Office of Civil Rights at the United States Department of Health and Human Services from 2017-2021.
Carrie Severino advised students to appreciate and embrace flexibility in their lives, especially in a law career.
“Always keep your eyes open and always embrace flexibility and potentially changing directions,” Severino said. “I had already done this by the time I got to law school because I spent my life from kindergarten to junior year of college as a pre-med student.”
Students then heard from Mike Berry, vice president of external affairs for First Liberty Institute. Berry spoke about the Supreme Court case Groff v. DeJoy as well as the importance of religious liberty and freedom in the United States.
Lorie Smith, owner of 303 Creative, and Kellie Fiedorek, senior counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom, also spoke to students. Smith was censored by a Colorado circuit court after refusing to create websites that promote same-sex marriage. She is now a part of the pending 303 Creative v. Elenis Supreme Court case, whose ruling is expected to become final.
“Our rights and our freedoms are rooted in our inherent dignity,” Fiodorek said. “We’re each made in God’s image, and it’s because of this human dignity that we have these other freedoms that create the obligation and duty the government has to protect our freedom of speech.”
Teegan Banks, a senior student on the trip, appreciated learning more about constitutional law and Supreme Court procedures on the trip.
“I enjoyed meeting all the attorneys fighting for religious freedom, as well as dean (Robert) Hurt giving us such an in-depth tour of the U.S. Capitol Building,” Banks said. “I also learned valuable knowledge about conservative politics, constitutional law, Supreme Court procedures and religious liberty laws from experts in their field.”
The trip ended with a short tour of the Capitol led by Robert Hurt, former congressman and dean of the Helms School
of Government.
Hurt said that opportunities like this give students unique advantages in their studies.
“It is hard to imagine a better opportunity for our Helms School pre-law students, who were given the opportunity to engage directly with lawyers and parties involved in two of the most important religious liberty cases currently pending before the U.S. Supreme Court,” Hurt said. “We are grateful to each of our guests, to Tim Goeglein and to the Heritage Foundation, for making this visit possible.”
Upcoming events in the Helms School of Government include the third annual Spring Public Policy Conference, happening April 12-14. The conference, titled “Promise of the Declaration: Building on the Legacy of ‘Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness,’” will include a presentation by North Korean human rights advocate Yeonmi Park, as well as student and faculty scholarly presentations.
For more information on the Helms School of Government, visit their website.
Smith is the news editor for the Liberty Champion. Follow her on Twitter
