NDLS Professor Richard Garnett Named to the U.S Commission on Civil Rights Indiana State Advisory Committee
Professor Rick Garnett
Richard Garnett, NDLS Professor and Director of the Program on Church, State & Society, has been appointed by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights as one of 18 Indiana citizens to its Indiana Advisory Committee.
“Indiana has played an important role in the civil rights movement by using its bill of rights to defend personal liberty “ Commission Staff Director Marlene Sallo said. “I trust that the newly appointed members will contribute to the role that Indiana has played in the civil rights movement.”
State advisory committee members conduct reviews and produce reports and recommendations concerning local civil rights issues, including justice, voting, discrimination, housing and education. Congress mandates that the federal Commission appoint volunteer members to advisory committees in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Appointees to the federal State Advisory Committees serve two-year terms.
“The Indiana State Advisory Committee will take seriously the mission to protect the spirit of civil rights and civil rights enforcement in our state. The committee will look at policies and practices statewide in an effort to eradicate discrimination, advance rights and identify solutions to civil rights issues on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, or national origin.”
The Commission appointed:
- B. Diane Clements Boyd of Evansville (Chair)
- Teri L. Cardwell of Indianapolis
- Elizabeth K. Cierzniak of Indianapolis
- Tammi Davis of Gary
- Robert L. Dion of Evansville
- Morella C, Dominguez of Indianapolis
- Christopher H. Douglas of Indianapolis
- Richard W. Garnett of South Bend
- James M. Haigh of South Bend
- Robert H. Heidt of Bloomington
- Leslie D. Hiner of Indianapolis
- Tony A. Kirkland of Evansville
- Billy G. McGill, Jr. of Fort Wayne
- Patti O’Callaghan of Indianapolis
- Ernesto R. Palomo of Chesterton
- Carlton M. Waterhouse of Indianapolis
- Ellen D. Wu of Bloomington
- Catherine H. Zuckert of South Bend
Professor Richard Garnett teaches and writes about the freedoms of speech, association, and religion, and also about constitutional law more generally. He is a leading authority on questions and debates regarding the role of religious believers and beliefs in politics and society. He has published widely on these matters, and is the author of dozens of law-review articles and book chapters. His current research project, Two There Are: Understanding the Separation of Church and State, will be published by Cambridge University Press. Professor Garnett is regularly invited to share analysis and commentary in national print and broadcast media, and he contributes to several law-related blogs, including Mirror of Justice and PrawfsBlawg. He is the founding director of Notre Dame Law School’s new Program in Church, State, and Society, an interdisciplinary project that focuses on the role of religious institutions, communities, and authorities in the social order.
The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights is an independent, bipartisan agency charged with advising the President and Congress on civil rights matters, studying civil rights issues, and issuing a federal civil rights enforcement report. For information about Commission’s reports and meetings, visit http://www.usccr.gov.
Originally published by at churchstate.nd.edu on January 15, 2015.