Pepperdine Caruso Law Religious Liberty Clinic Client Represented at United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit

On October 29, 2024, Jones Day attorney Chris Pagliarella presented oral argument on behalf of Pepperdine Caruso Law Religious Liberty Clinic client Jewish Coalition for Religious Liberty at the United States Court of Appeal for the Third Circuit in Philadelphia. Pagliarella, an attorney at Jones Day, the law firm that partners with the Pepperdine clinic, argued to Judges Hardiman, Phipps, and Freeman.

The court took the unusual step of granting oral argument time for an amicus curiae in light of the clinic's brief, which was prepared by Caruso Law third-year student Jacob Neill and second-year student Dalton Orsborn under the supervision of professor Eric Rassbach, executive director of the clinic.

Pepperdine's brief argued that it does not violate the Establishment Clause to teach public school students about minority religions (e.g., Islam or Judaism) in an objective way and that current tensions in American society make interreligious understanding all the more important. A ruling is expected within the next several months.