King’s Hosts Webinar Event Reflecting On Recent Supreme Court Cases
Supreme Court Building at Dusk I Photo Courtesy of Joe Ravi with Wikipedia Commons
The King’s College hosted a hybrid webinar event titled "How Should Christians Reflect on Recent SCOTUS Decisions?" on Sept. 14. Four speakers, including three attorneys and King’s graduates, reflected on recent landmark Supreme Court cases and their potential to preserve Christian principles and religious liberty.
Dr. David Tubbs, professor at The King’s College, moderated the panel and Interim President Stockwell Day introduced the event. The event was announced after the Dobbs v. Jackson decision which overturned the legal precedent of Roe v. Wade. However, multiple cases were discussed in detail—including Kennedy v. Bremerton (which upheld the right of religious people to pray publicly) and Carson v. Macon (which ruled that the Constitution supports parents sending their children to religious or otherwise private schools).
The first speaker, Bethany Pickett, graduated from King’s in 2012 and serves in commercial litigation at the Jackson-Walker law firm. During her remarks, Pickett highlighted former President Trump’s commitment to appointing originalist judges, whereas President Biden prioritized race and gender. Pickett emphasized that Supreme Court confirmations and judge appointments “are the greatest legacy a president can leave behind.” The remainder of her speech discussed the Senate confirmation process, where Pickett mentioned at various points how the Senate’s questions seem to be designed to “trap” or otherwise publicly embarrass the nominee.
Dr. Joseph Griffith is an Assistant Professor of Politics at King’s who teaches courses such as Constitutional Law and the Federal System. Griffith spoke specifically in the context of Carson v. Macon. Griffith also cited Proverbs as biblical support for the importance of autonomy for Christians in the education of their children.
The third speaker, Attorney Josh Craddock, graduated from King’s in 2013 and later attended Harvard Law School. Craddock’s speech explored the legislative history of Roe v. Wade and how Christians ought to think about Dobbs. This case moved away from Roe’s model of “fetal life” and returned to a more common law interpretation, where a fetus is considered an unborn human life. Craddock believed the next step for Christians is the defense of unborn babies through the Equal Protection Clause in the 14th Amendment, which says “No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.”
Finally, attorney and 2010 King’s alumni, Christopher Ross, discussed the judicial concept of “burden-shifting” in the context of the Establishment Clause in Kennedy v. Bremerton. While he works as an attorney full-time, Ross often takes pro bono cases in the defense of religious liberties. According to Ross, Bremerton is of critical relevance to Christians because it established that Kennedy’s prayers were explicitly performed as a private citizen and not on behalf of the school or the government.
After all four speakers concluded their remarks, Dr. Tubbs hosted a Q&A period. One of the attendees questioned the veracity of original intent, considering that slavery was still widely practiced in the 1780s and women weren’t allowed to vote. Craddock pointed out that “this is a common misinterpretation of originalism… this ignores the 13th, 14th, 15th and 19th Amendments.” Pickett added that “our founders were wise enough to know they might have an imperfect historical picture.”
Dr. Griffith remarked with a dash of humor that “it’s important to not interpret the Constitution in the worst possible way.”
King’s will be hosting another discussion panel event entitled “Wokeness in Corporate America: How Wokeness Will Affect Your Future” on Sept. 20.
Evan Louey-Dacus is a student studying Politics, Philosophy, and Economics. He attended Oxford as a summer student and currently works in research and business strategy. Evan is the President of the King's Debate Society and the Opinion Editor at the Empire State Tribune.