Conferences
The Ken Starr Institute fosters communities and promotes dialogue across the legal
profession. It achieves this by hosting lectures and conferences throughout the year.
Upcoming Conferences
The State of Religious Freedom Conference
June 7-9, 2026, Malibu, California
Presented by the Pepperdine University Caruso School of Law’s Ken Starr Institute for Faith, Law, and Public Service; the Nootbaar Institute; and the Centre for Law and Religious Freedom at Jagiellonian University.
The purpose of this dialogue is to bring together respected transatlantic scholars,
jurists, and practitioners on key issues related to international religious freedom.
The dialogue will address current issues in church-state relations, both in the United
States and abroad. We hope to continue to engage a wide range of scholars, jurists,
and practitioners dedicated to addressing and supporting international religious liberty.
Past Conferences
Quattrone Wrongful Convictions Appellate Clinic Conference, The Science of Justice: Evidence, Error, and Exonerations
October 2–3, 2025
On October 2-3, 2025, Pepperdine Caruso Law hosted the inaugural Quattrone Wrongful Convictions Appellate Clinic Conference, The Science of Justice: Evidence, Error, and Exonerations. The event drew an engaged audience of nearly 100 attendees, where leading practitioners and scholars from organizations including Innocence Project, the federal public defender’s office, and leading firms discussed seeking justice for those wrongfully convicted. The conference culminated in the presentation of the Courage Award to exoneree Terrill Swift, whose personal story of being wrongfully convicted challenged all with seeking freedom for those wrongfully imprisoned.
The State of Religious Freedom Conference
June 11 - 13, 2025
On June 11 to 13, 2025, the Ken Starr Institute hosted the inaugural State of Religious Liberty Conference at the University’s Château d’Hauteville campus in Switzerland in partnership with the Herbert and Elinor Nootbaar Institute on Law, Religion, and Ethics. The conference served as a platform for exploring a central question: How can we and how should we protect religious liberty? Participants–including leading jurists, academics, and practitioners–engaged in thoughtful, comparative discussions on the legal, cultural, and societal dimensions of religious freedom across transatlantic contexts.