Notre Dame Law School clinic to be named the Lindsay and Matt Moroun Religious Liberty Clinic
Notre Dame Law School announced July 10 that its Religious Liberty Clinic will now be named the Lindsay and Matt Moroun Religious Liberty Clinic. The announcement was made during the fourth annual Notre Dame Religious Liberty Summit, which brings together the world’s leading defenders of religious liberty for conversation among clergy, scholars, politicians and advocates.
Notre Dame Law School’s Religious Liberty Clinic was established in 2020 upon a foundational gift from Matt and Lindsay Moroun. Less than five years after its inception, the clinic became one of the largest academic institutions in the world dedicated to promoting and defending religious freedom. The clinic has represented individuals and organizations from diverse faith traditions, with a mission to protect the constitutional right to believe and practice religion freely.
“Without the courage and confidence of Lindsay and Matt Moroun to lead the conversation regarding religious freedom, we could not have come together to begin and continue this important work,” said G. Marcus Cole, the Joseph A. Matson Dean of Notre Dame Law School and founder of the Notre Dame Law School Religious Liberty Initiative. “The Moroun family’s ability to see the vision of what is possible, with faith as the activating principle, is the cornerstone of all that we have accomplished, and we are deeply grateful to them.”
The Moroun family’s generosity ensures that this rich tradition of scholarship and practice can continue. Matt and Lindsay Moroun are passionate about the fight for religious freedom. They believe that Notre Dame Law School is the best place to champion religious freedom across the globe.
“As a Catholic university, Notre Dame has from its founding proven that faith is not only compatible with a free society and the open pursuit of truth, it is necessary to their fulfillment,” said Lindsay and Matt Moroun. “That is why Notre Dame Law School is the ideal home for an initiative that prepares its students to be fearless defenders of every person’s God-given right to live their lives according to their beliefs. We are thrilled to support this mission, and to ensure that it can continue as long as necessary.”
Under the guidance of Law School faculty and staff, student fellows at the clinic work on a variety of legal matters to promote religious freedom, domestically and globally. For example, over the past three years, the clinic has filed numerous briefs and argued before a federal appellate court in support of the Apache people in Apache Stronghold v. United States, a case seeking to protect their sacred land and religious traditions.
In other cases, Notre Dame students have represented U.S. immigrants seeking asylum from religious persecution, advocated for religious ministries’ freedom to serve communities in need, worked alongside government officials to advance religious freedom issues in Nepal and fought to protect religious exercise in prisons.
“The students, faculty and staff in the Religious Liberty Clinic have made incredible strides for religious freedom in the last four years,” said John Meiser, director of the Lindsay and Matt Moroun Religious Liberty Clinic. “I am deeply grateful to the Moroun family, whose generosity has enabled us to give our students unparalleled opportunities to serve people in need and to participate in this critical work to protect our most foundational freedom.”
In addition to their commitment to the Law School, Lindsay and Matt Moroun serve on the Campaign Cabinet, devoting their time to be of service to the University in furtherance of the strategic framework and University priorities during the For Good Initiative. In conjunction with their profound Catholic faith, the Morouns are devoted to their hometown of Detroit and its revitalization, making an impact through business practices that improve the lives of locals as well as unassuming, quiet acts of philanthropy.
Originally published by at law.nd.edu on July 12.
Latest Colleges & Schools
- When countries hide their true public debt, they hurt themselves, their citizens and their lendersGlobal public debt may soon collectively catch up to the worldwide gross domestic product (GDP), likely matching it by 2030. New research from a Notre Dame economist suggests that this could happen even sooner, thanks to countries’ hidden debts. This misreported debt can lead to higher interest rates for borrowers and lower recovery rates for lenders, suggesting indirect adverse effects on global financial stability and consumer welfare.
- WSJ editor and columnist Gerry Baker to deliver Thomas H. Quinn LectureGerry Baker, editor-at-large of The Wall Street Journal, is the featured speaker for the Thomas H. Quinn Lecture Series. “Unpacking the Election: Where Do We Go From Here?” will take place at 3:30 p.m. Friday (Nov. 8) in the Jordan Auditorium at the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business.
- Gov. Ron DeSantis to deliver Center for Citizenship and Constitutional Government lectureGov. Ronald D. DeSantis, the 46th governor of Florida, will speak at the University of Notre Dame at 4 p.m. Nov. 8 in Room 101 of DeBartolo Hall. Sponsored by Notre Dame’s Center for Citizenship and Constitutional Government, the talk will serve as the center’s 2024 Jeanie Poole O’Shaughnessy Memorial Lecture.
- Democrats and Republicans agree on one thing: Censoring hate speechIn an era of intense polarization, Democrats and Republicans have historically, and mistakenly, believed that members of the other party prioritize protecting certain types or victims of hate speech over others based on stereotypes or their affiliation with those potentially vulnerable groups. New research from the University of Notre Dame, however, revealed that partisans generally agree on what to censor when it comes to the target, source and severity of hate speech.
- Economist Kirk Doran wins UK’s Panmure House Prize honoring interdisciplinary researchKirk Doran, an associate professor in the Department of Economics at Notre Dame, has won the 2024 Adam Smith Panmure House Prize. The prize, named after the forefather of economics, celebrates those who embody Smith’s empiricism and long-term interdisciplinary thinking in their research.
- Political scientist explores extending constitutional duties to private actorsNew research from Christina Bambrick, the Filip Family Assistant Professor of Political Science at Notre Dame, explores the nonconventional idea that each of us, as private citizens, may be responsible for upholding the constitutional rights of our fellow citizens. She examines constitutional politics across the globe to explore these different approaches to balancing rights and responsibilities in a democratic society.
