After weeks of tracing the background history and constitutional principles at work on religious establishment, free exercise, and equality issues, the Administration on cue sponsors, holds, staffs, and headlines a “Rededication 250: A National Jubilee Of Prayer, Praise & Thanksgiving,” complete with a virtually all-Christian (one Jew) speaker roster, a White House website, money from Congress’ apportionment of funds for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration commemorations, and a drumbeat of emphasis of supposedly American Christian traditions. We take it slowly and look at how it fits into the constitutional rubrics that we have examined. Meanwhile, it’s the Yale Commencement, and Akhil has commentary on the main speaker. And a number of news developments harken back to our podcasts past - how did we do? CLE credit is available for lawyers and judges from podcast.njsba.com.

Our journey through the centuries of religious practice, attitudes, and constitutionalism has reached the 20th century, when several presidential elections set mileposts for the American religious debate. The first major party Catholic candidate, Al Smith, met the worst sort of vitriol and prejudice, and was destroyed by it. This cast a shadow over the later campaign of John F. Kennedy, and he answered it in a speech that we analyze and place in context, even as we thrill to the great man’s voice one more time. We then trace a line from that speech, through several Supreme Court memberships, to the American cultural and constitutional religious landscape as the 21st century dawns. Fittingly, perhaps, one of the jurists who has been prominent on this issue, Justice Thomas, celebrates a milestone on the Court. CLE is available for lawyers and judges from podcast.njsba.com.

As the 10 commandments case makes its way towards the Supreme Court, we add another chapter to our study of the historical events and factors that went into the American constitutional tradition when it comes to religious freedom, religious establishment, and the relationship of government and religion as a whole. We begin this episode where The Words That Made Us began - in 1760. We take it forward through the revolutionary period, into the Articles and the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and then wind up with the Civil War and Reconstruction, leaving us poised at last to take a serious look at what the Fifth Circuit thought it was doing, and what it actually was doing, when it allowed a law to stand that mandates posting of the Ten Commandments in every classroom. CLE credit is available for lawyers and judges from podcast.njsba.com.