Three cases pending decision before the Supreme Court could significantly shape the interpretation of the First Amendment’s establishment and free exercise clauses. The cases — Catholic Charities, Mahmoud, and Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board — deal with critical public policy issues including criteria for determining the tax status of religious charities; the right of parents to receive notice and opt-out options for classroom materials they deem inappropriate on religious grounds; and the establishment of state-funded religious charter schools.
David Leebron, dean of Columbia Law School, president and CEO of Texas 2036, and former president of Rice University (2004-2022), discusses the evolution of Supreme Court thinking on the establishment and free exercise clauses over the past 30 years and the implications for church-state separation with Baker Institute director David Satterfield.
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Agenda
5:00 pm CDT — Reception
5:30 pm CDT — Armchair Discussion
6:15 pm CDT — Q&A Session
Participants
Featured Speakers
David Leebron is the president and CEO of Texas 2036, a nonprofit, nonpartisan policy organization working to ensure Texas remains the best place to live and work through the state’s bicentennial in 2036 and beyond. He joined the organization in 2024 after serving for 18 years as president of Rice University, where he is now president emeritus and continues to serve as a university professor. During his tenure, Rice expanded its student population, invested more than $1.8 billion in construction and capital improvements, extended its research and global reach, and deepened its relationship with the city of Houston.
Prior to leading Rice, Leebron was dean of Columbia Law School. A Philadelphia native, he is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, where he was elected president of the Harvard Law Review. He clerked for Judge Shirley Hufstedler on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and later taught at UCLA School of Law, NYU Law School, and Columbia Law School. Leebron lives in Houston with his wife, Ping Sun, who is active in several nonprofit organizations and serves as counsel to the law firm Yetter & Coleman LLP. They have two adult children.
The Honorable David M. Satterfield
Director, Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy; Janice and Robert McNair Chair in Public Policy; Former Ambassador to Lebanon and Turkey