CSLR at Forty
Celebrating Forty Years of Law and Religion at Emory
On March 22, 2023, over 60 faculty, staff, fellows, students, alumni, and friends gathered in Hunter Atrium at Emory Law School to celebrate the Center for the Study of Law and Religion’s fortieth anniversary. The open house event featured remarks by Law School Dean and Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Law Mary Anne Bobinski, CSLR Faculty Director and Robert W. Woodruff Professor of Law John Witte, Jr., and CSLR Executive Director and Charlotte McDaniel Scholar Whittney Barth.
The Center’s storied history and robust work were on full display during our gathering. Tables lining the perimeter of Hunter Atrium featured the Journal of Law and Religion, Canopy Forum, and a handful of the 370+ books published by Center-affiliated faculty and fellows and in the Center’s several book series. Dozens of posters from past CSLR events were also on view, underscoring the Center’s important role in identifying and exploring new frontiers in the field of law and religion.
As part of the celebration, the Center announced its 2023 graduating student awards and recognized joint degree (JD/MTS and JD/MDiv) and LLM graduates, as well as graduating JD students who have been a part of the Journal of Law and Religion.
[Deans] talk about different programs where we lead intellectual debate and we tackle issues important for our society and, in this case, the very important issue of how law and religion relate to each other, certainly here but actually all around the world. . . . And this Center has exemplified all the things that deans talk about trying to achieve, and it has been a beacon of light, a center of excellence, and a crown jewel that has allowed all of us to think about what might be possible within our own areas of research.
— Mary Anne Bobinski, Emory Law School Dean and Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Law
This Center has been a steeple of excellence that helped to make Emory a bit more visible on the horizon. It’s been laboratory for faculty and students to do creative interdisciplinary work on the three things that most people cherish most – their faith, their freedom, and their family. And it has been a hub in a global network of law and religion scholarship featuring thousands of faculty on all continents.
— John Witte, Jr., CSLR Faculty Director and Robert W. Woodruff Professor of Law
As we look to the future, I am excited for the Center to be a hub for the many vibrant conversations about law and religion yet to come, both on Emory’s campus and well beyond. We are committed to encouraging rigorous scholarship that is accessible to a wide public and to teaching and training students and professionals interested in the many intersections of law and religion.
— Whittney Barth, CSLR Executive Director and Charlotte McDaniel Scholar
Click here to watch the full program.
Thanks to the generosity of several donors, Forty Years of Law and Religion at Emory, written by Emory University Historian Emeritus Dr. Gary S. Hauk, is now available online.
Click here to view Forty Years of Law and Religion at Emory
Below are additional photos from the Center’s fortieth anniversary open house celebration.
CSLR Senior Fellow Silas Allard recognizes graduating students. From left to right: Robert Sharp Jr., master of laws candidate; Eric Wang, recipient of the Gertie and John Witte Prize for Outstanding Work in Law and Christianity; Rebecca Rigas, representing the graduating staff of the Journal of Law and Religion. Not pictured: Rachel Kennedy received the 2023 Eliza Ellison Prize.
The CSLR student team (left to right): Estevan Samayoa, Eythen Anthony, Rachael Orbeta, John Bernau, Whittney Barth, Sandra Bourdon, and Steve Gaunt [not pictured: Rena Nakum].
Left to right: John Witte, Jr., Eliza Ellison, Frank Alexander, Michael Broyde, and Rafael Domingo.