Governments increasingly infringe on parents' liberty to direct and control the upbringing of their children. Does the Constitution limit the exercise of government power in this area. Can government school officials, for example, secretly participate in the social gender transitioning of a child without notifying the child's parents? Fundamental Liberty, Strict Scrutiny, and the Deeply Rooted Legal History and Tradition of a Parent's Right to Direct and Control the Upbrin

Conversation censorship laws regulating professions (e.g., lawyers, physicians, pharmacists, counselors, etc) substantially interfere with a Christian person's religious identity and expressive exercise of their religious conscience. WFFC's latest White Paper focuses on Colorado's conversation censorship law that regulates counselors licensed by the State. Under the law, the State of Colorado deliberately requires a Christian person to renounce her religious expression, cons

April 21, 2025 — Denver, Colorado — William Wagner presented testimony to the Colorado House of Representatives concerning a constitutional amendment recognizing the inalienable right of parents to direct the upbringing, education, and care of their children. “The deeply rooted historical and legal traditions of this nation recognize what every parent knows the moment they hold their child for the first time … It has been given to them the duty, responsibility, and right to

Presented by Prof. William Wagner to International Christian Professors 9 April 2025 Good morning, colleagues. We come from over twenty nations with very different cultures, yet we are all brothers and sisters in Christ. It is a distinct honor share this message with you today. As a fellow Christian and former judge, I stand before you not just with legal experience, but with a shared reverence for the One who authored both law and liberty. The Apostle Paul tells us in 2 Cor

And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with chi

Prof. William Wagner authored a brief on behalf of Right to Life (MI) and the Wagner Faith & Free Center at Spring Arbor University. Debra A. Vitagliano v. County of Westchester, N.Y. (23-74) (2023) We filed the brief filed in support of a Christian citizen challenging a law making it a crime to express a pro-life viewpoint on the topic of abortion while on a public sidewalk in proximity to an abortion clinic. The issue before the Court is: Whether the Court should overrul

The Michigan legislature is considering a law to ban speech of counselors inconsistent with current ideological sexual orthodoxy. Here is Prof. William Wagner's analysis: The Proposed Law is Unconstitutional Ratified in 1791, the First Amendment to the United States Constitution provides that “Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech ....” U.S. Const. amend I. The Supreme

House Bill No. 4474 , transforms Michigan’s Ethnic Intimidation law (MCL 750.147b) into a law designed to criminalize speech. A companion proposal, House Bill No. 4475 adds the crime described in HB 4474 to a list of felony crimes. This legislation poses serious threats to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. As written, it clearly violates the First Amendment protections for Free Speech and Free Exercise of Religious Conscience, and conceivably could result in pro