معرفی
Richard W. Garnett is the Paul J. Schierl/Fort Howard Corporation Professor of Law and Concurrent Professor of Political Science at the University of Notre Dame’s Law School. He directs the Program on Church, State & Society and serves as a Faculty Fellow at the Center for Citizenship and Constitutional Government. His expertise spans constitutional law, religious freedom, church-state relations, and First Amendment issues. Garnett holds a J.D. from Yale Law School and a B.A. summa cum laude from Duke University. Formerly a clerk for Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist and Judge Richard S. Arnold, he practiced law in Washington, D.C., before joining Notre Dame in 1999.
His research focuses on religious liberty, institutional autonomy, and the intersection of law, religion, and society. Key themes include the Establishment Clause, Free Exercise Clause, and the role of religious institutions in public life. Garnett has authored numerous books and articles, including Religion and the American Constitutional Experiment and First Amendment Stories. He frequently contributes to legal blogs like Mirror of Justice and testifies before legislative bodies on religious expression issues.
Garnett’s scholarship emphasizes the structural and philosophical foundations of religious freedom, arguing for a balanced approach that respects both individual conscience and institutional autonomy. His work often critiques judicial overreach while advocating for pluralistic legal frameworks that accommodate diverse religious practices without state coercion.
He has engaged in high-profile legal advocacy through amicus curiae briefs in landmark cases such as Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church v. EEOC and Carson v. Makin, defending religious autonomy and school choice. His teaching includes constitutional law, criminal law, and courses on law and religion, reflecting his commitment to integrating doctrinal rigor with ethical and philosophical inquiry.
