معرفی
S. Ernie Walton currently serves as Interim Dean at Regent University School of Law. Previously, he held the position of Senior Associate Dean and Associate Professor, teaching courses including Sales, Business Structures & Agency, International Law, National Security Law, and International Business Transactions. He has received significant recognition for his teaching, including being voted the 2L/3L Professor of the Year in 2024 and winning the Chancellor's Award in 2023. Walton also served as Director of the Center for Global Justice from 2013-2023.
Walton's research focuses on constitutional issues in education, parental rights, religious freedom, and gender identity policy. His work frequently addresses the intersection of constitutional law and education policy, particularly regarding parental rights in public schools, religious charter schools, and critical analysis of gender identity ideology in educational settings. His scholarship demonstrates a consistent theme of defending constitutional principles against what he views as governmental overreach in education.
His recent publications show a strong trend toward legal advocacy in education policy, with numerous amicus briefs supporting parental rights cases and analyses of religious charter school legality. The scholarship demonstrates deep engagement with First Amendment issues, Fourteenth Amendment protections, and the historical foundations of educational rights in America.
- 2L/3L Professor of the Year (2024)
- Chancellor's Award (2023)
- Blackstone Fellow (2009)
Walton has served as counsel in numerous high-profile cases, often filing amicus briefs on parental rights and religious freedom issues. His practical legal experience complements his academic work, having previously clerked for the Virginia Supreme Court and practiced civil litigation and religious freedom law. He has mentored numerous students through his role as a law professor and previously as a Blackstone Fellow mentor.
As an ordained pastor at Redeemer Church and active member of the legal community, Walton bridges religious and legal scholarship, particularly in the context of religious freedom and education policy.
