Rev. Patrick Reidy Named 2026 Distinguished Teaching Award Recipient

Rev. Patrick E. Reidy, C.S.C., associate professor of law, has been selected by the Notre Dame Law School Class of 2026 as the recipient of the 2026 Distinguished Teaching Award. He will deliver the commencement address during the Law School’s Hooding Ceremony on May 16.

The Distinguished Teaching Award, awarded annually by each graduating class and coordinated by the Student Bar Association, recognizes a faculty member who exemplifies excellence in leadership, mentorship, legal scholarship, and teaching.

Father Reidy joined the Notre Dame Law School faculty in fall 2023, at the same time the Class of 2026 began law school. He teaches courses in Property, Land Use, and Historic Preservation and also serves as a faculty director for the Church Properties Initiative within the Fitzgerald Institute for Real Estate.

An ordained Roman Catholic priest in the Congregation of Holy Cross, Father Reidy’s teaching and scholarship focuses on the intersection of property law and religion. His research examines how legal institutions understand religion in the context of property claims, as well as how property doctrines can either support or constrain religious practice—including work exploring how faith communities can repurpose church-owned land for affordable housing and invoke religious liberty protections to overcome exclusionary zoning and local opposition. His work has been published in leading journals, including the Yale Law Journal, Virginia Law Review, and Florida Law Review.

Before joining the Notre Dame faculty, Father Reidy served as a visiting lecturer in law and fellow in private law at Yale Law School. He clerked for Justice Brett Kavanaugh of the Supreme Court of the United States, and for Judge Thomas Hardiman of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

Father Reidy earned his J.D. from Yale Law School, where he was editor of both the Yale Law Journal and the Yale Journal on Regulation. He also holds a Master of Divinity from the University of Notre Dame, where he received the M.A. Schumacher Award for Academic Excellence as the top graduate seminary student, and a B.A. in political science from the University of Notre Dame, graduating as the 2008 salutatorian.

In addition to his academic work, Father Reidy serves on campus as a priest-in-residence for Morrissey Manor. He previously served as rector of Keough Hall at Notre Dame, and he has provided chaplaincy support across campus, including serving as the Law School’s chaplain from 2016-18. Father Reidy also serves on the Board of Regents for the University of Portland.

Notre Dame Law School’s 2026 Hooding Ceremony will be held on Saturday, May 16 at 9:00 a.m. at the Joyce Center, Purcell Pavilion.