Commencement Address presented at Spring Arbor University 2026 A.D. by the Hon. William Wagner (Ret), WFFC Distinguished Chair for Faith & Freedom (SAU); Distinguished Professor Emeritus Listen Watch President Ellis, members of the Board of Trustees, distinguished faculty and staff, families and friends—and most especially, graduates: Congratulations. You have earned this moment. You survived examinations, clinics, research papers, presentations, deadlines, group projects— An

The Rule of Law. The phrase is familiar. Its meaning is revolutionary. The Rule of Law does not mean that society has laws. Every tyranny has laws. The Rule of Law means that those who exercise power remain subject to law. Under the Rule of Law, the central question for a public official is not what result do I desire? It is what authority has lawfully been entrusted to me? That question has guided much of my own thinking about constitutional interpretation. I believe deeply

Judicial Independence, Political Pressure, and the Rule of Law Presented by the Hon. William Wagner (Ret.), WFFC Distinguished Chair for Faith & Freedom at Michigan State University College of Law — Federalist Society Event - October 21, 2026 I. INTRODUCTION: THE QUESTION BEHIND THE QUESTION Good afternoon. It is a pleasure to be here at Michigan State University College of Law. I am grateful to the Federalist Society for inviting us to consider a question that reaches the ve

Science can investigate differences among human populations. But when scientific research begins treating racial and ethnic lines as a framework for understanding human well-being, we ought to ask a far more fundamental question. What understanding of the human being is guiding the inquiry? That question lies at the heart of the recent controversy surrounding a scientific paper co-authored by Abdul El-Sayed and Sandro Galea, examining premature births among Arab-American moth

Michigan voters will decide this November whether to convene a constitutional convention to consider rewriting the state's Constitution. For citizens committed to the sanctity of human life, religious liberty, parental rights, and limited government, the question presents both an extraordinary opportunity and a substantial risk. Proposal 1 appears on the ballot not because of a petition drive or legislative initiative, but because Michigan's Constitution expressly requires it

Last week I returned from the Azores Islands in the heart of the Atlantic Ocean. On this trip, I saw where Christopher Columbus and his crew took shelter from a terrible storm in February of 1493. Amidst songs of praise and ardent prayer they survived the ordeal and went ashore to fulfill a vow of thanksgiving for their survival. Barefoot and dressed only in their shirts, half of Columbus' men were captured during their pilgrimage to the nearest chapel. After nine tumultuous

An Update to “Life Holds Value at Every Stage – A Canadian Horror Story” In our September 25 Waypoint article, “Life Holds Value at Every Stage – A Canadian Horror Story,” we examined the troubling consequences of Canada's expanding euthanasia regime. Through the heartbreaking account of Brigitte Stegemann, an elderly Canadian woman whose family raised serious questions about the circumstances surrounding her medically administered death, we called for a return to a fundament

The Department of Justice's newly released report provides a documentary account of federal investigations involving parents who challenged public school policies. Its findings invite a deeper examination of governmental authority, constitutional liberty, and the fundamental rights of parents. A government that fears the voices of parents has forgotten whom it serves. During my years serving as a federal prosecutor and later as a federal judge, I learned the indispensable imp

The Quiet Power to Shape What We Think While researching a constitutional issue recently, I encountered something that unsettled me. The legal question itself was difficult but not obscure. I was examining the interaction between a proposed constitutional provision, parental rights, and the protection of human life. Yet reaching a clear answer required repeated probing, careful reformulation, and persistence. Eventually, the analysis emerged. But the experience left me thinki

I lived much of my life in the great Commonwealth of Virginia, and all my children were born there. That is why Question 1, the constitutional abortion amendment on November 3’s ballot, concerns me as both a father and a constitutional scholar. Beneath its language of freedom lies a threat to children before and after birth. My children’s birth certificates recorded their arrival, not the beginning of their humanity. Their worth did not depend on being wanted. Every human bei

Fifty years ago, Congress drew a moral line. On September 30, 1976, it enacted the first Hyde Amendment, providing that federal Medicaid funds generally could not be used to pay for abortions. Congress has renewed that protection in annual appropriations ever since.1 The Hyde Amendment prevents the federal government from compelling taxpayers to finance most abortions. That distinction reflects both constitutional restraint and moral clarity. It also respects the deeply held

“They’re going to kill me?” Those words should stop us cold. According to her family, 83-year-old Brigitte Stegemann asked that question after her granddaughter explained what Canada’s Medical Assistance in Dying program would do. Brigitte suffered from advanced stomach cancer. She was elderly. She was vulnerable. And on July 10, 2026, a medical professional intentionally ended her life by lethal injection. Her family says Brigitte had earlier rejected physician-assisted kill

Twenty-five years later, we remember not only what America lost on September 11, 2001, but what ordinary Americans revealed about courage, sacrifice, faith, and freedom. There are moments in life when history suddenly ceases to be something we study and becomes something we experience. September 11, 2001, was such a moment. I was serving on the federal bench at the time, but that morning I was at the University of Florida, where I was teaching future leaders in a law school c

What makes Christian higher education genuinely Christian? At Spring Arbor University, the answer begins with a community of learners committed to pursuing truth under the lordship of Jesus Christ. There is something special about the beginning of a new school year. Here at Spring Arbor University in Michigan, our campus has come alive again. Students walking to class. Professors meeting new students. Athletic teams competing. Friendships beginning. Chapel brings the communit

“Let each builder choose with care how to build.” – 1 Corinthians 3:10 Welcome to a new year at Spring Arbor University!* There is an ancient prayer from the end of Psalm 19 that some of you have heard hundreds of times. Growing up, my pastor recited it each week, just before his sermon: “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.” For thousands of years, those two things have naturally belonged toget

A Labor Day Reflection on Work, Calling, and the Glory of God Each year on Labor Day, Americans rightly pause to honor the men and women whose work built our communities, sustained our families, strengthened our economy, and helped make this nation great. But for the Christian, Labor Day invites us to consider something deeper. We were created to work. Properly understood, work is part of God's design for human life. Work is not something to endure so that we can enjoy the we

An Analysis of the Education Freedom Tax Credit -- A significant new chapter in American education policy is about to begin. Last year, Congress enacted the nation's first federal tax-credit program supporting educational choice. As implementation approaches, the Education Freedom Tax Credit provides an important opportunity to consider what good governance requires when government acts in a sphere where the rights and responsibilities of others precede the State. Indeed, th

If you follow our work here at all, good news from Nigeria has been painfully scarce. For years, the story has been one of murdered worshipers, kidnapped schoolchildren, displaced villages, intimidated converts, and a government too often unwilling, or unable, to secure justice. Against that dark background, a recent Federal High Court ruling deserves more than passing notice. It is a genuine victory for religious freedom, human dignity, and the Rule of Law. The case concerns

Reflections on Catholic Charities Bureau, Inc. v. Wisconsin Labor & Industry Review Commission The American constitutional order begins with the first principle that civil government may exercise only limited power. Among the most important of those limits is that government holds no authority to define authentic religious belief or determine how citizens must express their faith. Such belong to God, and to the religious communities that seek to obey Him. Whenever the State a

Reflections on First Choice Women’s Resource Centers, Inc. v. Davenport Every generation must decide whether liberty is an inherent right bestowed by our Creator or a privilege bestowed by government. As I've often noted, the American Founders answered that question with remarkable clarity. The Declaration of Independence proclaims that all persons “are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights” and that governments are instituted not to create those rights but