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

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

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

A government need not build prison walls to deprive a person of liberty. It may simply prohibit that person from leaving its territory. Governments around the world increasingly employ coercive exit bans against citizens and foreign nationals who are already lawfully present within their territory. Rather than placing an individual under formal arrest, authorities simply forbid departure. The individual remains free to travel within the country, yet cannot return home, reuni

The release of Pastor Ezra Jin from imprisonment in China is a welcome answer to prayer. After months of detention for faithfully shepherding an independent Christian congregation, he is once again free. We rightly rejoice with his family and with believers around the world who never ceased praying for his release. His story, though, reminds us of a deeper truth. Freedom is precious, but faithfulness is priceless. Throughout history, those who have proclaimed the Gospel of J

The United States and the Republic of Korea have stood shoulder to shoulder for more than seventy years. Forged in the crucible of the Korean War, the alliance rests upon far more than mutual defense. It is grounded in a shared commitment to constitutional government, individual liberty, and the rule of law. That is why the recent treatment of former United States Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice Morse Tan deserves careful attention, not only because Ambassador

The measure of a free society is not how it treats popular opinions. It is how it treats the conscience of those who peacefully disagree. For more than 125 years, the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne have quietly cared for the dying poor. They ask nothing in return. They accept no government funding, charge no fees, and seek only the freedom to carry out Christ’s command to care for “the least of these.” Yet, New York now threatens these women with fines, loss of licensure, an

A free and democratic society has both the right and the responsibility to protect its citizens from violence, intimidation, and genuine threats. Canada’s recently enacted Combatting Hate Act (Bill C-9) seeks to address legitimate concerns about rising hate crimes and antisemitic violence. Yet in pursuing that worthy objective, Canada risks undermining one of the very liberties that distinguishes free nations from authoritarian regimes (i.e., the fundamental right to speak, b

The recent criminal sentencing of Brazilian parents Audato and Ieda Denardi for homeschooling their children should concern every nation committed to human dignity, parental rights, and the rule of law. While reasonable people may debate educational policy, no government should criminalize devoted parents who are faithfully educating their children and acting in accordance with their deeply held convictions. At stake is a principle far greater than homeschooling. The case rai

A Christian college student is receiving legal support from First Liberty Institute after allegedly losing her part-time job following conversations about her religious beliefs. Paige, who worked at a local coffee shop while pursuing her education, says she was questioned by coworkers after they learned she attended a Christian college. According to reports, Paige answered questions about her faith honestly and respectfully. Just days later, she received a text message from m

Words matter. They reveal truth, preserve meaning, and communicate reality. When government deliberately alters language, it often does more than change vocabulary; it seeks to reshape how citizens understand the world. New York’s recent legislation replacing the terms “mother” and “father” with “gestating parent” and “non-gestating parent” reflects precisely such an effort. While advocates portray the change as inclusive, it ultimately undermines fundamental truths about hum

The passage of Québec’s Bill C-9 presents far more than a provincial policy disagreement over secularism. It reflects a deeper constitutional and moral crisis increasingly visible throughout the modern West: the gradual transformation of the state from a protector of fundamental liberties into an arbiter of permissible belief and public conscience. When government claims authority not merely to regulate conduct, but to suppress the public manifestation of religious conviction

In a unanimous decision, the United States Supreme Court again affirmed that government must never wield its power to chill the exercise of fundamental freedoms. In First Choice Women’s Resource Centers v. Platkin, the Court permitted a faith-based ministry to challenge a state subpoena demanding disclosure of its donors, an act that threatened to silence both speech and conscience. This case raises fundamental moral and constitutional questions about the nature of freedom it

The DOJ, the FACE Act, and the Future of Equal Justice under Law A newly released Department of Justice report examining enforcement of the federal Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act between 2021 and 2024 raises a question that should concern every American committed to constitutional governance. Did the Department of Justice depart from its calling to administer justice without fear or favor, or did it drift toward the selective exercise of governmental powe

Jonathan Turley’s recent critique of Colorado’s latest legislative efforts offers a sobering reminder that the First Amendment remains under persistent pressure, not from foreign adversaries, but too often from state actors. His analysis underscores a troubling pattern. State regimes, convinced of the ideological certainty of their policy aims, too often attempt to regulate speech in ways that the Constitution plainly forbids. At issue is Colorado’s continued effort to impos

A Biblical and Constitutional Analysis of the 50CAN Survey By Hon. William Wagner (Ret.) WFFC Distinguished Chair for Faith and Freedom EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The State of Educational Opportunity in America (2nd Edition) survey reveals a nation in tension. Parents increasingly desire educational choice, flexibility, and greater control over their children’s formation. Yet barriers to access, declining parental engagement, and systemic limitations persist. At its core, the report r

The U.S. Supreme Court’s unanimous decision in Olivier v. City of Brandon marks an important clarification of the relationship between criminal convictions and civil rights litigation under 42 U.S.C. §1983. The Court held that a prior conviction does not categorically bar a plaintiff from seeking forward-looking relief, such as an injunction, challenging the constitutionality of the law used against him. At issue was a street preacher convicted under a municipal ordinance reg

A recent study by the American Federation for Children provides important insight into one of the most consequential public policy debates of our time, how best to educate the next generation . The research examines Florida’s Tax Credit Scholarship program over its first fifteen years and compares its academic impact with the effect that equivalent increases in public-school spending would likely have produced. The findings are striking. According to the analysis, expanding s

In the Gospel of John, chapter 8, verse 32, Jesus tells his disciples, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” This is no casual remark. It is a foundational claim about the nature of freedom itself — that liberty is inseparable from truth. President Ronald Reagan, a statesman who grasped the religious roots of American liberty, once said, “Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant and the rule of law under God is acknowledged.” Both Scripture and

The Wagner Faith & Freedom Center at Spring Arbor University is pleased to invite friends and supporters to a special luncheon program in Scottsdale, Arizona, on Monday, March 16, 2026, at the beautiful Olive & Ivy restaurant. This gathering will bring together members of the Spring Arbor University community for an afternoon of fellowship, encouragement, and thoughtful reflection on the vital intersection of faith, family, freedom, and Christian higher education. Featured Sp