The Center for Citizenship and Constitutional Government is joined by Notre Dame Law School's Program on Church, State & Society to host its inaugural True Family Lecture Series, programming made possible by Tad and Jen True. Wednesday, September 4 in Eck Hall of Law  1130: “The Great Awakenings of American Religious Freedom: Evaluating the Latest Supreme Court Teachings” Unable to attend in person? Join our livestream on Wednesday the 4th.Thursday, September 5 in Eck Hall of Law 1130: “The Great Awakenings of American Religious Freedom: Comparing the Original Teachings of the American Founders”  Unable to attend in person? Join our livestream on Thursday the 5th. John Witte, Jr. is the Woodruff University Professor, McDonald Distinguished Professor, and director of the Law and Religion Center at Emory University. A leading scholar of legal history, human rights, family law, and law and religion, he has delivered 425 public lectures worldwide and published 325 articles and 45 books, in 15 languages. His most recent monographs include the following, published with Cambridge University Press: The Western Case for Monogamy over Polygamy (2015), Church, State, and Family (2019), The Blessings of Liberty (2021), as well as Faith, Freedom, and Family (Mohr Siebeck, 2021), and Religion and the American Constitutional Experiment (Oxford University Press, 2022). In addition to his administrative duties, Professor Witte serves as editor of the Cambridge Law and Christianity Series and Emory Studies in Law and Religion and coeditor of the Journal of Law and Religion, Brill Research Perspectives on Law and Religion, and the Aranzadi Colección Raíces del Derecho series. He holds degrees in law (Harvard University) and theology (Dr. Theol. h.c., University of Heidelberg). His lectures will be the inaugural True Lectures at the University of Notre Dame. This event is free and open to the public. Lunch will be provided.   Originally published at constudies.nd.edu.

Twenty-one countries around the world — one-ninth of the United Nations’ roster — do not maintain standing armies. Demilitarized states share some commonalities: (1) the decision to demilitarize, or not to have an army, always follows a pivotal moment in history (e.g. military coup, foreign invasion, reaching independence); (2) they have security arrangements with a regional hegemon and/or alliance; (3) they have not been attacked or invaded; (4) they maintain public safety and border security organizations; (5) they are consolidated democracies; and (6) they are more prosperous and spend more on healthcare, education, and socioeconomic development than their neighbors with armed forces. While “States without Armies” addresses all 21 army-less states, this conversation featuring Zoltan Barany, the Frank C. Erin, Jr., Centennial Professor at the University of Texas at Austin, and Laurie Nathan, professor of the practice of mediation and Mediation Program director at the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, focuses on the experiences of Costa Rica, Iceland, Mauritius, Panama, and the Solomon Islands. This event will be recorded and uploaded to the Kroc Institute's YouTube channel. Originally published at kroc.nd.edu.