Washington, D.C.  — In a significant development for religious liberty and constitutional law, the United States Supreme Court on Monday granted certiorari in St. Mary Catholic Parish v. Roy , agreeing to review a case that raises fundamental questions about the First Amendment’s protection of religious institutions in the public square. A number of constitutional attorneys, including Prof. William Wagner, WFFC Distinguished Chair for Faith & Freedom at Spring Arbor Universi

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

This week, the Wagner Center joined Advancing American Freedom (AAF) and like-minded advocates in filing an amicus curiae brief in Missouri v. FDA —a case that presents profound questions about the rule of law, the proper limits of federal authority, and the government’s obligation to protect innocent human life. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Federal government used the crisis as a pretext to relax longstanding safety protocols governing mifepristone, a chemical a

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

SCOTTSDALE, AZ — March 16, 2026  — Against the warm backdrop of an Arizona spring afternoon, friends and supporters of the Wagner Faith & Freedom Center gathered at the elegant Olive & Ivy restaurant for a memorable luncheon centered on faith, encouragement, and shared purpose. The event brought together members of the Spring Arbor University community and like-minded guests celebrating of faith, connection, and calling. From the moment guests arrived, the atmosphere reflect

The War Powers Resolution of 1973 - Constitutional Design, Reoccurring Conflict, and the Present Iran Operations Abstract The Constitution divides the nation’s war powers between Congress and the President, requiring both legislative deliberation and executive resolve when the United States engages in armed conflict. The War Powers Resolution of 1973 sought to restore this balance, yet Presidents of both parties have challenged its constitutionality while complying with its p

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 President's Executive Order Confronting the Cuban Threat The President of the United States recently issued an Executive Order Addressing Threats to the United States by the Government of Cuba . This Executive Order declares that the policies and actions of the Cuban government constitute an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to U.S. national security and foreign policy and, accordingly, declares a national emergency to confront that threat. It authorizes the establish

Separation of Powers, Sovereignty, and National Security   Abstract At the beginning of the twenty-first century, a growing movement in American legal thought urged courts to align constitutional interpretation with evolving international norms. Foreign judicial decisions, international declarations, and global “consensus” were increasingly cited in domestic adjudication. Some federal courts expanded the use of customary international law as a source of enforceable federal cl

The Constitutional Doctrine of Standing in the Context of Parental Rights Across our nation, a quiet but profound constitutional conflict is unfolding. It is not confined to distant federal agencies or obscure regulatory codes. It is happening in families. In living rooms. In conversations between mothers and daughters, fathers and sons. It is unfolding in the deeply personal, often painful moments when parents seek to guide their children through adolescence, identity strugg

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 . Feature

The auditorium at Michigan State University was filled with the rare kind of attention reserved for questions that sit at the intersection of law, power, and national survival. At the center of the stage, the Hon. William Wagner (Ret.)—Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Ben Franklin Fellow, and Chair of the Wagner Faith & Freedom Center at SAU—spoke with the measured calm of a jurist. The debate concerned the President’s recent Venezuela operation, described by administration

By the Hon. William Wagner (Ret) The reported impending execution of a 19-year-old Iranian wrestling champion, allegedly for participation in peaceful anti-government protests, is more than a tragic human rights crisis. It is also a window into the growing convergence of international human rights law, U.S. statutory sanctions policy, and an increasingly tense national security posture toward the Islamic Republic of Iran.  The U.S. State Department’s public demand that Iran h

January 27 On International Holocaust Remembrance Day, we pause to remember one of the darkest chapters in human history—the systematic, state-sponsored annihilation of six million Jewish men, women, and children, and the persecution and murder of millions of others, carried out with chilling deliberation under the Nazi regime. The Holocaust stands as a permanent warning of what occurs when law is severed from moral truth, when the inherent dignity of the human person is deni

A Rebuttal to the Leftist Report, In Harm’s Way —  Exposing the Flaws in Research, Law, and Logic Behind the Call to Repeal Michigan’s Parental Consent Statute In recent years, Michigan has emerged as a focal point of a national effort to dismantle long-standing parental involvement requirements in abortion law. This article offers a comprehensive rebuttal to In Harm’s Way : How Michigan’s Forced Parental Consent for Abortion Law Hurts Young People, a report published by the

Clergy content casting Mary as the “main character” of the Christmas story, infers she possessed the power to abort Jesus. This recast provides a revealing case study of a broader theological and jurisprudential shift. Drawing on constitutional theory, natural law, Christian theology, and historical precedent, the Article argues that such framing reflects the ascendancy of a secular progressive humanist worldview grounded in radical personal autonomy rather than unalienable r

In December 2025, the White House released its National Security Strategy (NSS) , a document that does more than outline foreign-policy priorities—it signals a fundamental rethinking of the purpose of American power. Departing from decades of globalist assumptions, the Strategy rejects the notion that the United States exists to manage the world’s problems and instead reasserts a more traditional understanding of national security as the protection of a sovereign republic, it

By the Hon. William Wagner (Ret.) Executive summary Nigeria stands at a crossroads between social collapse and constitutional renewal. The Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), in its statement “Peace in Nigeria: Moving from Fragility to Stability,” offers an urgent, morally lucid, and legally grounded diagnosis of Nigeria’s spiraling insecurity and repression. The instant Issue Brief amplifies this warning and calls the international community to attend to it. This

By Hon. William Wagner (Ret.) “I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.” Psalm 9:1 Each Thanksgiving, we American citizens do something quietly radical: we pause a nation that never stops moving, and we give thanks—publicly, communally, and often in language that acknowledges God. That custom is older than stuffed turkey and older than the football. It is woven into the culture and the deeply rooted cultural history and