Friday, September 29, 2017

Trump Nominates Religious Liberty Expert For Seat On 5th Circuit

Yesterday President Trump announced (among other nominations) the nomination of Kyle Duncan for a seat on the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. Much of Duncan's career has been devoted to religious liberty concerns.  Reporting on the nomination, the Baton Rouge Advocate calls Duncan a "conservative Christian legal warrior."

An unusually deep record of Duncan's views on First Amendment issues is available.  From 2004-2008, he was an Assistant Professor of Law at the University of Mississippi where he taught courses on constitutional law, church-state relations, and free speech. (Bio.)  Duncan's publications include:
From 2012- 2014 Duncan served as general counsel for the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty.  He was lead counsel in the Supreme Court case of Hobby Lobby Stores v. Burwell which concluded that the Affordable Care Act's contraceptive coverage mandate violates religious rights of objecting small businesses under RFRA.  Here is the merits brief that Duncan's team filed in the case.

Now a partner in the Washington, D.C. law firm of Scherr Duncan, his web page includes links to nearly a dozen news interviews and blog posts in which Duncan talks about religious liberty issues.