Celebrating Students at the Third Annual Law and Religion Student Symposium

On April 17, 2026, the Center for the Study of Law and Religion held its third annual Law and Religion Student Symposium. This event was an opportunity for current students to present their work in the field of law and religion to the Emory Law community. Over the course of the day, ten students across three panels discussed a wide range of law and religion-related topics, and each panel included a faculty respondent. 

Panel 1: Nicholas Cyran: "Re-enchanting Sovereignty: The Erasure of Liberal Ideals and Political Accountability in a Secular Age"; John Daoud: "Religious Authoritarianism under El-Sisi: A Politics of Co-Optation and Repression Toward Dependency"; and Katya Burklin: "The Voice of Authority: Fatwas, Clerics, and the Construction of al-Qaeda’s Ideology." Courtney Freer served as faculty respondent.

Panel 2: Chika Gbenoba: "Redemption Revisited: Backlash Politics from Reconstruction to the DEI Rollback"; Micah Jones: "Religious Influence on the Formation of the Displaced Persons Act of 1948"; and Ariel Yitzchaki: "When Church Needs State: Protecting the Right to Worship From Disruptive Protest". Silas Allard served as faculty respondent.

Panel 3: Siji Deleawe: "A House is Not a Home: How a Social Ethic of Home Can Advance Housing Affordability"; Jennings Dixon: "Jesus and Jewish Law in the Gospel of Matthew"; Andrew Newell: "Look Back to Go Forward: The Prophetic Imagination of International Refugee Law as a Guide for the Modern Advocate"; and David O'Brien: "The Religious Society of Friends’ Influence and Impact on the Criminal Justice System." Eric Wang served as faculty respondent.

Each panel concluded with a robust question and answer period from an audience consisting of Emory faculty, staff, and students.  

The day concluded with a celebration recognizing graduating students who have completed the concentration in Law and Religion and/or participated in the Journal of Law and Religion, and students who represented Emory Law at domestic and international law and religion moot court competitions this Spring. The Center was also pleased to award the Eliza Ellison Prize for Leadership in Law and Religion to Andrew Newell (JD ‘26) and the John and Gertie Witte Prize to Songfeng Li (SJD ‘26).