Religious Liberty Clinic Closes ’14-’15 Academic Year Strong

The Religious Liberty Clinic recently finished a Spring 2015 quarter filled with action and success. As in past terms, RLC students defended the rights of individuals and groups from a variety of traditions – including Adventist, Buddhist, Jewish, Muslim, and Sikh clients – in a host of matters and forums. In an intense final month, they wrote a brief and led a mediation in respective cases in the federal courts of appeal, filed a complaint and then negotiated a settlement in a case in federal district court, led a second mediation at the EEOC, filed an administrative appeal, and negotiated a settlement in Illinois.

Among their projects, the students defended the rights of Sikh truck-drivers who lost their jobs after refusing to cut their hair; a Messianic Jewish inmate denied kosher meals; a small Christian church thwarted in its ability to minister to the homeless at its sanctuary; a Muslim community seeking to build a house of worship; and a Hare Krishna temple refused a property-tax exemption. Following up on an amicus brief it filed the previous quarter (in the Third Circuit), the clinic also filed another such brief in the Ninth Circuit defending the prerogatives of religious non-profits in providing retirement benefits.

The spring-term students who worked on the above matters were Nicole Cambeiro (JD ’16), Claire Chapla  (JD ’16), Andrew Grimm (JD ’16), John Kenney (JD ’16), Sean McElroy (JD ’16), Clifford Mpare (JD ’16), and Daniel Renz (JD ’16).

Religious Liberty Clinic Closes '14-'15 Academic Year Strong
(pictured left to right) RLC Director James Sonne, John Kenney, Clifford Mpare, Claire Chapla, Sean McElroy, Daniel Renz, Nicole Cambeiro, Andrew Grimm, RLC Supervising Clinic Attorney Jared Haynie