Joel A. Nichols is Professor of Law at the University of St. Thomas. (Minnesota). His scholarship explores the relationship of theology and religion to law – especially family law, constitutional law, and international human rights. He is the editor of Marriage and Divorce in a Multicultural Context: Reconsidering the Boundaries of Civil Law and Religion (Cambridge Univ. Press 2012) and co-author of Religion and the American Constitutional Experiment, 3d ed. (with John Witte, Jr.) (Westview Press 2011). He has also published more than two dozen book chapters and articles, including in NYU Law Review, Family Court Review, Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law, Journal of Law and Religion, Emory Law Journal, and others. Professor Nichols’s current research includes marriage, religion, and legal pluralism; evangelical Christians and human rights; and religion and the Constitution. He is a graduate of Emory’s Law and Religion Program, holding degrees in both law (J.D.) and theology (M.Div.). Prof. Nichols also works closely with Viva, a Christian international human rights organization that assists children at risk; he has worked extensively in the US and UK, and has also provided human rights and leadership training in Kenya and the Dominican Republic.
Lecture "Marriage and Divorce in a Multicultural Context" School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) University of London, UK October 2011
Panel Discussion "Intersections Between Religion and Family Law" University of Minnesota School of Law April 2011
Lecture "Legal Pluralism and Marriage in the United States" Roger Williams University School of Law March 2011
Lecture "Is There a Free Speech Right to Distribute Violent Video Games to Minors?" St. Paul Inn of Court February 2011
Lecture "The Early Church and the Law, Conference on “The Bible and the Law” " Pepperdine University School of Law February 2011
Lecture "Civil Disobedience and the New Testament" Law Professors’ Christian Fellowship/Lumen Christi Conference San Francisco, California January 2011
Lecture "When the State Is Evil: Civil Disobedience and the New Testament" Conference on Religious Legal Theory St. John's University School of Law November 2010
Lecture "How Can You Omit Religion?" Michigan State University Law School Symposium November 2010
Lecture "Nothing New Here: Religious Symbols and Public Life after Salazar v. Buono" Constitution Day Presentation, University of St. Thomas September 2010
Lecture "Multi-Tiered Marriage: Reconsidering the Boundaries of Civil Law and Religion" International Society of Family Law Regional Conference Kansas City, MO June 2010
Lecture "Multi-Tiered Marriage and the Frontiers of Marital Pluralism" Emerging Family Law Scholars Conference Kansas City, MO June 2010
Lecture "Shari’a Courts and the Frontiers of Marital Pluralism" University of St. Thomas Law Journal Symposium on “Islamic Law and Constitutional Liberties” April 2010
Moderator "The Pros and Cons of Collaborative Law Practice within the Family Law Context" University of St. Thomas March 2010