Interprofessional Center

St. Thomas Law Professor Thomas Berg's work on religious freedom was cited in the Supreme Court's decision on the case of Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue.

The St. Thomas Law Religious Liberty Appellate Clinic filed two amicus curiae briefs in February with the United States Supreme Court in: Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru  Tanzin v. Tanvir.

The Religious Liberty Appellate clinic's brief Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru was featured by SCOTUSblog in their Friday Roundup post.

The two faiths have endured similar legal backlash—underscoring the importance of advocating for religious freedom for all.

Professor Berg, along with students Erik Money '20, and Nathanial Fouch '20, filed a brief in the US Supreme Court in Our Lady of Guadalupe Parrish v. Morrisey.

The Religious Liberty Appellate clinic was highlighted by the National Association of Evangelicals for the amicus brief they prepared in the case of Gaylor v. Mcnuchin. 

On March 15, in the case of Gaylor v. Mnuchin, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit upheld the constitutionality of allowing clergy to exclude church-provided housing allowances from their taxable income.

Thomas Wheeler, 3L, was featured in the American Bar Association's student lawyer blog post about law students pursuing public interest work. Read more to learn about Wheeler’s experience with client advocacy during his time in the Religious Liberty Appellate clinic.

"Thousands of small and medium-sized churches across the U.S. are anxiously awaiting a Seventh Circuit decision, expected early next year, which could have a major impact on the way they operate."

"All of us want to live out our identities in the public square, says Berg, and religious and LGBT communities have some parallel concerns."

"The majority did miss an opportunity to give teeth to one of the nation's most basic constitutional principles: the prohibition of official religious bigotry," says Religious Liberties Appellate Clinic Professor Thomas Berg.

On April 25, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral argument in the much-awaited case of Trump v. Hawaii, the challenge brought by the state asserting, among other things, that the Administration’s executive order barring admission into the U. S. from certain predominantly Muslim countries and suspending refugee admissions violates the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause and federal immigration law. Join the American Constitution Society for a discussion of the legal questions under review by the Court and what’s at stake. To read the full brief, click here. To register for the webinar, click here. 

Under the supervision of Professor Thomas Berg, Religious Liberty Appellate Clinic student Jessica Lanzi ’18 filed an amicus brief on behalf of a Baltimore pregnancy center that was being compelled by city ordinance to post statements in its waiting room. In January 2018, the 4^th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the Baltimore Pregnancy Center—declaring that the ordinance had violated the center’s First Amendment right to free speech. Read more.  

The Religious Liberty Appellate Clinic at the University of St. Thomas School of Law has filed an amicus curiae brief in the U.S. Supreme Court, on behalf of major religious organizations and a leading military chaplains alliance, in an important case involving the rights of military personnel under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). The amicus brief supports a petition for certiorari review filed by a Marine corporal, Monifa Sterling, who was court-martialed for, among other things, objecting to a superior’s order to remove from her work station three small signs displaying a Bible verse.

In May 1995, a group of nearly 200 religious leaders of multiple faiths issued a sharp statement calling for reversal of the U.S. Patent Office’s recent decision to issue patents on portions of the human genome and on several genetically engineered animals (most notably, a laboratory mouse especially susceptible to cancer). “[H]umans and animals are creations of God, not [of] humans,” the statement said, “and as such should not be patented as human inventions.

Less than a year after a Supreme Court verdict guaranteed same-sex marriage across the country, Christian conservatives and LGBT rights advocates remain at odds. The object of discontent: legislation that proponents say would guarantee the rights of people of faith to make hiring and employment decisions based on that faith, but which opponents claim would be used as a weapon to discriminate against LGBT people.

Christianity Today recognizes that Christians hold a broad array of perspectives on these issues and invited Thomas Berg, a religious liberty scholar, to share his thoughts on the bills’ cultural and legal context. Berg teaches at the University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minneapolis and has had his work cited by the Supreme Court.

St. Thomas Law Professor Thomas Berg's work on religious freedom was cited in the Supreme Court's decision on the case of Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue.

The St. Thomas Law Religious Liberty Appellate Clinic filed two amicus curiae briefs in February with the United States Supreme Court in: Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru  Tanzin v. Tanvir.

The Religious Liberty Appellate clinic's brief Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru was featured by SCOTUSblog in their Friday Roundup post.

The two faiths have endured similar legal backlash—underscoring the importance of advocating for religious freedom for all.

Professor Berg, along with students Erik Money '20, and Nathanial Fouch '20, filed a brief in the US Supreme Court in Our Lady of Guadalupe Parrish v. Morrisey.

The Religious Liberty Appellate clinic was highlighted by the National Association of Evangelicals for the amicus brief they prepared in the case of Gaylor v. Mcnuchin. 

On March 15, in the case of Gaylor v. Mnuchin, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit upheld the constitutionality of allowing clergy to exclude church-provided housing allowances from their taxable income.

Thomas Wheeler, 3L, was featured in the American Bar Association's student lawyer blog post about law students pursuing public interest work. Read more to learn about Wheeler’s experience with client advocacy during his time in the Religious Liberty Appellate clinic.

"Thousands of small and medium-sized churches across the U.S. are anxiously awaiting a Seventh Circuit decision, expected early next year, which could have a major impact on the way they operate."

"All of us want to live out our identities in the public square, says Berg, and religious and LGBT communities have some parallel concerns."

"The majority did miss an opportunity to give teeth to one of the nation's most basic constitutional principles: the prohibition of official religious bigotry," says Religious Liberties Appellate Clinic Professor Thomas Berg.

On April 25, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral argument in the much-awaited case of Trump v. Hawaii, the challenge brought by the state asserting, among other things, that the Administration’s executive order barring admission into the U. S. from certain predominantly Muslim countries and suspending refugee admissions violates the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause and federal immigration law. Join the American Constitution Society for a discussion of the legal questions under review by the Court and what’s at stake. To read the full brief, click here. To register for the webinar, click here. 

Under the supervision of Professor Thomas Berg, Religious Liberty Appellate Clinic student Jessica Lanzi ’18 filed an amicus brief on behalf of a Baltimore pregnancy center that was being compelled by city ordinance to post statements in its waiting room. In January 2018, the 4^th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the Baltimore Pregnancy Center—declaring that the ordinance had violated the center’s First Amendment right to free speech. Read more.  

The Religious Liberty Appellate Clinic at the University of St. Thomas School of Law has filed an amicus curiae brief in the U.S. Supreme Court, on behalf of major religious organizations and a leading military chaplains alliance, in an important case involving the rights of military personnel under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). The amicus brief supports a petition for certiorari review filed by a Marine corporal, Monifa Sterling, who was court-martialed for, among other things, objecting to a superior’s order to remove from her work station three small signs displaying a Bible verse.

In May 1995, a group of nearly 200 religious leaders of multiple faiths issued a sharp statement calling for reversal of the U.S. Patent Office’s recent decision to issue patents on portions of the human genome and on several genetically engineered animals (most notably, a laboratory mouse especially susceptible to cancer). “[H]umans and animals are creations of God, not [of] humans,” the statement said, “and as such should not be patented as human inventions.

Less than a year after a Supreme Court verdict guaranteed same-sex marriage across the country, Christian conservatives and LGBT rights advocates remain at odds. The object of discontent: legislation that proponents say would guarantee the rights of people of faith to make hiring and employment decisions based on that faith, but which opponents claim would be used as a weapon to discriminate against LGBT people.

Christianity Today recognizes that Christians hold a broad array of perspectives on these issues and invited Thomas Berg, a religious liberty scholar, to share his thoughts on the bills’ cultural and legal context. Berg teaches at the University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minneapolis and has had his work cited by the Supreme Court.