Hon. William Wagner (Ret)

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Join date: Jan 23, 2023

About

William Wagner’s prior public service includes serving as a federal judge in the United States Courts, legal counsel in the U.S. Senate, senior assistant United States attorney in the Department of Justice, and as an American diplomat, and Senior Advisor for Global Criminal Justice at the Department of State. He currently holds the academic rank of Distinguished Professor Emeritus after a teaching career in both secular and religious universities. His writing is published in numerous journals and books.

Posts (126)

Apr 8, 2026 ∙ 3 min

The Constitution Still Speaks: Repeatedly Restraining State Power in Colorado

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 impose restrictions on...

Apr 7, 2026 ∙ 7 min

Educational Opportunity, Parental Authority, and the Freedom to Educate

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 raises a...

Mar 31, 2026 ∙ 2 min

SAU’s Wagner Center Plays Significant Role in Supreme Court Victory Affirming First Amendment Freedoms

In a landmark 8–1 decision, the United States Supreme Court delivered a decisive victory for free speech in Chiles v. Salazar (No. 24-539), holding that Colorado’s restriction on counseling conversations constituted unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination. Writing for the majority, Justice Gorsuch concluded that the state’s law improperly regulated speech based on its content and viewpoint, failing to meet the rigorous demands of the First Amendment. At issue was whether Colorado could...