International Center for Law and Religion Studies

Join us for the 2026 Religious Freedom Annual Review, “The United States of America at 250: Life, Religious Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.”

This full-day conference will feature scholars, faith leaders, attorneys, and public policy experts discussing pluralism and peacemaking, religion in U.S. history, religious liberty developments, civic education, religious freedom rankings, and the future of religious freedom in the United States.

Congratulations to Deborah Wright, ICLRS Center Coordinator and Executive Assistant, on receiving BYU’s President’s Appreciation Award.

The President’s Appreciation Award is awarded annually to ten full-time staff employees and recognizes individuals for their overall contribution to the university, providing legendary service, and demonstrating BYU’s values of being spiritually strengthening, student-centered, excellent and professional, unified and respectful, and acting with integrity.

As ICLRS coordinator and administrative assistant, Deborah has been the primary logistical organizer of thousands of law-and-religion conferences and trainings worldwide, involving tens of thousands of religious leaders, government officials, academics, students, NGO and civil society leaders, and others. For many, Deborah is the first representative of BYU and the Church they have ever encountered, and her thoughtful, professional, Christ-like watch-care ensures their impressions are not just favorable but glowing.

Deborah is known as “the heart and soul of the Center” because of her care for coworkers, team-centered approach, and gracious interactions with ICLRS contacts.

As guest researcher Lutforahman Saeed shared: “Her immediate kindness made me feel certain that I had come to the right place and was surrounded by the right people.”

We are grateful for Deborah’s remarkable service and congratulate her on this well-deserved recognition.

Today is the last day for the early bird registration discount.

Register here:
https://religiousfreedom.byu.edu/registration/

On the blog, Ori Aronson comments on a recent death penalty law in Israel, explaining its political underpinnings and human rights concerns over its application.

Read more: https://talkabout.iclrs.org/2026/05/14/israels-death-penalty-law-jewish-and-democratic/

Registration for this year’s Religious Freedom Annual Review is now open! To secure early-bird rates and find more details about the event, please click on the link in our biography.

In our new video, Frank Ravicth, a long-term critic of Employment Division v. Smith, explains why he does not support the overturning of this decision anymore.

Each year, the International Center for Law and Religion Studies recognizes graduating BYU Law students who have demonstrated exceptional service to the Center and to the cause of religious freedom throughout their law school experience.

We are proud to congratulate the 2026 Meritorious Service Award recipients:

• Abigail Kime
• Ashley Leptich
• Jenna Crowther
• Joe Sorensen
• Mary Bowers
• Taylor Crofts

Thank you for your dedication, leadership, and meaningful contributions. We look forward to seeing the impact you continue to make in the future.

On the blog, Brandon Reece Taylorian weighs Caribbean religious registration systems against FoRB standards while discussing encouraging and discouraging cases in the region.

A new video series on the blog features law-and-religion academics discussing prominent court cases and why their opinions on them have changed. In the first episode, Brett G. Scharffs explains why and how his views on Refah Partisi v. Turkey (2003) have shifted over the years and why he no longer considers the ECtHR decision to be an overreaction. https://talkabout.iclrs.org/2026/04/24/brett-g-scharffs-on-the-evolution-of-his-thinking-about-refah-partisi/

New on the blog: Judith Hahn explains the European Union Court of Justice's ruling on church employment and its impact on Ecclesiastical Law in Germany. https://talkabout.iclrs.org/2026/04/21/the-eucj-ruling-in-katolische-schwangerschaftsberatung/