Professor Mark L. Movsesian Speaks on Religious Freedom at Federal Bar Council Conference

Earlier this week, Professor Mark L. Movsesian—director of the Law School’s Center for Law and Religion—participated in a panel program on “The Evolution and Implications of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act” at the Federal Bar Council’s annual Winter Bench & Bar Conference.

The panel discussion focused on religious accommodations under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). Professor Movsesian gave an overview of the topic, including the history of religious accommodations in American law, the scope of RFRA, the Supreme Court’s recent decisions in Hobby Lobby and Wheaton College, and legal developments in the wake of those decisions.

The panel’s moderator, Hon. Brian Cogan of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, then led a mock argument on a hypothetical case involving the federal Family and Medical Leave Act. Attorneys Steven Edwards (Hogan Lovells) and Steven Hyman (McLaughlin & Stern) took opposite sides in the case and answered questions from panelists Noel Francisco (Jones Day) and David Schaefer (Brenner Saltzman & Wallman). The program concluded with an audience Q&A.

Founded in 1932, the Council is an organization of lawyers who practice in federal courts within the Second Circuit. “The weeklong winter conference attracts not only lawyers, but also judges—including, this year, United States Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito—and the discussions are substantive and enlightening,” Professor Movsesian said.

St. John’s Law and the Center for Law and Religion were well represented at this year’s event. Mary Kay Vyskocil ’83, a partner at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP and a member of the center’s advisory board, put a great deal of time and effort into organizing the RFRA panel. And center advisory board member Hon. Richard Sullivan, United States District Judge for the Southern District of New York, appeared on a panel later in the week.

“I was delighted to represent the Center and St. John’s,” Movsesian said, “especially in such august company. One of our principal goals at the Center is contributing to the debate on religious freedom in the legal community. The Federal Bar Council meeting was a perfect opportunity.”

To learn more about the Center for Law and Religion and its initiatives and activities, please visit clrforum.org.