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Legal SpiritsPodcasts on Church and State Author: Legal Spirits
Mattone Center for Law and Religion at St. John's Law Language: en-us Genres: Government, Society & Culture Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Legal Spirits 071: Jefferson, Wine, and the Wall of Separation
Tuesday, 30 September, 2025
Thomas Jefferson’s 1802 letter to the Danbury Baptists—better known for its reference to a “wall of separation” between church and state—was little remembered until Chief Justice Morrison Waite revived it in Reynolds v. United States (1879). With the help of historian George Bancroft, Waite transformed Jefferson’s passing metaphor into a constitutional principle, despite Jefferson’s limited role in drafting the First Amendment. In this episode of Legal Spirits, historians Don and Lisa Drakeman join Center Director Mark Movsesian to explore how Jefferson’s words, and even his passion for French wine, helped shape the Court’s Religion Clause jurisprudence—and to consider what lessons today’s Justices should draw about the risks of using history in constitutional interpretation. Listen in! The post Legal Spirits 071: Jefferson, Wine, and the Wall of Separation appeared first on LAW AND RELIGION FORUM.
