February 5, 2025
On January 23, 2025, St. John’s Denise ‘90 and Michael ‘91 Mattone Center for Law and Religion hosted its inaugural Center Directors Summit at the New York Athletic Club in Manhattan.
The event, the first ever of its kind, brought together directors of law and religion centers and clinics from Brigham Young, Emory, Harvard, Notre Dame, Pepperdine, St. John’s, Stanford, The Catholic University of America, the University of Texas, and Villanova. Summit attendees also celebrated the renaming of the Center for Denise and Michael Mattone.
Read more about the Center’s renaming
The Summit began with three private roundtables moderated by Center Director Mark Movsesian, addressing mission, scholarship, curricula, and programs. Participants spoke about the role of law and religion centers and clinics and the benefits they can provide for law professors, students, and the public.
“It was wonderful to get together with colleagues and friends to talk about our successes, challenges, and plans for the future,” Professor Movsesian said. “So many law schools in the United States have law and religion centers and clinics, and yet no one has thought before to bring the directors together to share notes and see how we can continue to benefit legal education in this country. This Summit was an important first step, and I hope it will continue on a rotating basis.”
The event concluded with two panel presentations for Mattone Center student fellows, board members, alumni, and friends, moderated by Judge Richard Sullivan of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, at which participants shared key insights from the earlier roundtables.
“The Mattone Center for Law and Religion, and law and religion centers and clinics at peer institutions nationwide, play a vital role in advancing knowledge and animating public discourse in this dynamic area of the law,” says St. John’s Law Dean Jelani Jefferson Exum. “I attended the Summit, and it was inspiring to see the directors exchange insights with one another and share their work with a very engaged audience.”
About the Mattone Center for Law and Religion
Established in 2010, the Mattone Center for Law and Religion at St. John’s Law provides a forum for studying law and religion from domestic, international, and comparative perspectives with the aim of:
- Examining the role of law in the relationship between religion and the state
- Exploring the concept of law in different religious traditions
- Promoting St. John’s Vincentian mission by encouraging an open dialogue on law and religion in the local, national, and international communities
In addition to hosting academic programs locally and around the world, the Center coordinates the Law School’s law and religion curriculum. It also produces the Law and Religion Forum blog, the Legal Spirits podcast, and the Landmark Cases in Religious Freedom animated video series.
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