September 29, 2022

1:00pm – 2:00pm Eastern

Federal Webinar - Seismic Shifts:  SCOTUS, Religion & States and Local Governments

In the past few years, the U.S. Supreme Court has issued several significant decisions regarding its legal doctrines involving religion. Most notably, local governments lost two cases last term for applying incorrect legal tests! Last term SCOTUS embraced a narrow view of the Establishment Clause in a tuition assistance case and a public forum case and overturned Lemon in a public employment case. Recently, SCOTUS has embraced a broad view of the Free Exercise Clause in a series of COVID cases and a case involving the City of Philadelphia.  And it may continue this trend in the upcoming term in a case involving a web designer who objects on religious grounds to making custom wedding websites for same-sex couples. The presentation will discuss these cases, trends, and practical guidance on SCOTUS and religion.

 

Speakers: Lisa Soronen, Erin Murphy, and Joshua Matz

 

Lisa Soronen is the Executive Director of the State and Local Legal Center (SLLC). In this role, Lisa files amicus curiae briefs to the United States Supreme Court on behalf of members of the Big Seven (National Governors Association, National Conference of State Legislatures, Council of State Governments, National League of Cities, United States Conference of Mayors, National Association of Counties, and International City/County Management Association) in cases affecting state and local government. Prior to joining the SLLC, Lisa worked for the National School Boards Association, the Wisconsin Association of School Boards, and clerked for the Wisconsin Court of Appeals. She earned her J.D. at the University of Wisconsin Law School and is a graduate of Central Michigan University.

Erin Murphy is a founding partner of Clement & Murphy, PLLC.  She is widely recognized as one of the nation’s leading Supreme Court and appellate advocates.  Erin has argued dozens of cases in appellate and trial courts throughout the country, including the Supreme Court and nearly all of the federal courts of appeals.  She is one of only seven women in the top two bands of Chambers & Partners rankings for Appellate Law–Nationwide, and the National Law Journal has named her one of the nation’s “Outstanding Women Lawyers.”  Erin has litigated appeals involving myriad provisions of the Constitution, including several cases involving the Constitution’s structural protections of liberty.  She has litigated a wide range of statutory issues as well, including cases involving the Affordable Care Act, the Bankruptcy Code, the False Claims Act, the Federal Arbitration Act, the Federal Power Act, the Natural Gas Act, the National Labor Relations Act, and more.  The National Law Journal named Erin a “Litigation Trailblazer” for her work representing institutional clients, which includes successfully arguing before the Supreme Court on behalf of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Wisconsin State Legislature.  Erin also has an active pro bono practice, through which she has successfully represented many religious organizations and adherents, criminal defendants, asylum applicants, adoptive parents, and more.

Joshua Matz is a partner at Kaplan Hecker & Fink LLP, resident in the DC office. 

Joshua’s practice includes complex commercial disputes, constitutional and civil rights law, and Supreme Court and appellate litigation. He litigates a wide array of commercial cases, ranging from contract, fraud, and misappropriation disputes to consumer protection and sex discrimination matters. He advises individuals and companies on their response to congressional and state attorney general inquiries, participates in sensitive internal investigations, and supports clients seeking to navigate complex legal questions. Along with several of his colleagues at Kaplan Hecker, Joshua has represented Brown and Columbia Universities in Title IX litigation. 

Joshua maintains a substantial civil rights and constitutional practice. His cases have ranged across LGBTQ rights, religious liberty, reproductive rights, freedom of speech, privacy, firearm regulation, the right to counsel, due process, and the scope of constitutional remedies. He has represented individual clients, civil rights organizations, non-profits, companies, current and former government officials, cities, states, and congressional committees. While many of these representations have involved litigation, he also provides practical counsel to clients who seek to assess their options and risk profile in areas of legal uncertainty.