The Templeton Project for Open Inquiry in the Legal Academy: Free Enterprise and Religious Freedom

Strategic Problem. Law schools are dominated by faculty who share a philosophy antithetical to free markets and broad religious freedom. This is problematic because law professors play a unique role in the legal culture. They submit briefs in Supreme Court cases. They provide commentary to the press. They write law review articles which are cited in opinions. They intellectually influence clerks who assist judges in drafting opinions. These activities cannot be done adequately by law students or practicing lawyers, and they immediately influence the scope of our fundamental freedoms. There is a great need for change in the present direction of the legal culture in order to encourage new scholars to vigorously defend freedom through the public policy process. Over the past 4 years we have experimented with the methods described in this proposal, but we have not applied them to specific fields. We seek a planning grant to monitor results over 9 months as we apply these tactics to the particular fields of religious liberty and economic freedom. This proposal is part of a larger project to advance new scholars interested in traditional legal principles across fields of study. Outputs 3 topical colloquia 1 job search workshop for aspiring academics 1 junior scholars colloquium 1 paper competition for junior academics Recruiting activities with 100 law students interested in the academy 1 study assessing the number of law review articles dealing with economic and religious liberties 4 podcasts by junior faculty 1 book event Outcomes Over 10 years, 30 new professors (3 annually) interested in free market principles and robust free exercise of religion 3-5 law review articles annually that would not have been published without our assistance 2 new courses offered annually on religious liberties and/or free markets Enduring Impacts Critical new voices for basic American freedoms will be added to influential positions in the academy