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 Wagner Center joined a coalition of 44 other amici in a U.S. Supreme Court brief defending the right to host a home prayer group. Professor Wagner thanked Advancing American Freedom for writing the brief in Grand v. University Heights. In this case, Daniel Grand, an Orthodox Jew, challenges University Heights, Ohio’s use of its zoning laws to prevent him from hosting a prayer group in his own home. As an Orthodox Jew, Mr. Grand’s religious practice requires prayer with a

WFFC Distinguished Chair for Faith and Freedom at Spring Arbor University, William Wagner, submitted official public comments to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) concerning the agency’s proposed rule addressing “Medical Aid in Dying” (MAID) within the context of federally funded hospice care. The comments were submitted in response to CMS-1851-P; RIN 0938-AV78, published at 91 Fed. Reg. 17338. The submission urges CMS and the Department of Health and Human S

By the Hon. William Wagner (Ret) My fellow Americans, honored veterans, Gold Star families, members of our armed forces, and cherished friends: Today, I speak having recently had the profound privilege of spending a fair amount of time at Arlington National Cemetery, sacred ground not in just place, but in purpose. There, among endless rows of white headstones, one cannot help but feel the weight of freedom’s cost. Arlington silently teaches what words alone can never fully

Consequential Questions Confronting Church and State This week, the Hon. William Wagner (Ret.), WFFC Distinguished Chair for Faith & Freedom, held a Global Online Public Square Briefing, designed to address pressing cultural, constitutional, moral, and public policy issues through the lens of a biblical and constitutional worldview. The global online briefing focused on consequential questions confronting both church and state today: the morality of war and the constitutional

This week in Lansing, the Hon. William Wagner (Ret.), Distinguished Professor of Law Emeritus, delivered a keynote address before the Religious Liberty Section of the State Bar of Michigan addressing the growing movement to legalize physician-assisted suicide in Michigan and the profound constitutional, moral, and cultural implications surrounding the issue. Speaking from both a constitutional and biblical worldview perspective, Wagner warned that the recently proposed Michig

Identity Politics vs. the Constitutional Republic Appearing around social media circles is recent article entitled, “Another Swipe at Democracy” A growing tendency in modern political discourse substitutes emotional narrative for constitutional reasoning and ideological assumptions for objective truth. While the article speaks passionately about voting rights and representation, it ultimately advances a deeply flawed understanding of both democracy and the constitutional fra

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

The Wagner Faith & Freedom Center recently hosted a trip to Washington, D.C. that included daily lectures by the Hon. William Wagner, WFFC Distinguished Chair for Faith & Freedom, and a special presentations by the Under Secretary of State and a Member of Congress. Here is a day by day summary of our learning adventure including titles of the daily lectures and presentations. Day 1 Many of the national monuments reflect biblical principles and Christian faith. World War II M

The recent decision to elevate the Islamic Republic of Iran to a vice-presidential role in a United Nations conference on nuclear non-proliferation exposes, yet again, a troubling disconnect between institutional form and moral substance. Defenders of the appointment are quick to note its procedural nature, one of many rotating positions. But such assurances miss the point. Leadership, even symbolic leadership, conveys legitimacy. And legitimacy untethered from truth invites

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 r

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 establishmen

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