The Rise of Corporate Religious Liberty

Authors

Micah Schwartzman, University of Virginia School of Law
Chad Flanders, Saint Louis University School of LawFollow
Zoe Robinson, Australian National University, School of Politics and International Relations

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2016

Keywords

religious liberty, corporate rights, church autonomy, freedom of the church, Hosanna-Tabor, Hobby Lobby

Abstract

This Introduction to our edited book, The Rise of Corporate Religious Liberty (Oxford University Press, 2016), offers an account of the “corporate turn” in law and religion. Here the term “corporate” refers to any organized body of people - groups, associations, organizations, and institutions - and, more specifically, to for-profit corporations. Our contention is that the relationship between law and religion has shifted dramatically in the last decade, moving from a conception of religious freedom focused mainly on individual liberty toward one that privileges the rights of religious organizations. We trace this development in two stages, describing the initial movement from individual liberty to church autonomy, or what some have called “freedom of the church,” and the subsequent extension of religious liberty claims to for-profit corporations. We then survey the main questions about corporate religious liberty addressed in the book and provide an overview of its structure.

Comments

There are 2 versions of this paper. Abstract attached.

Recommended Citation

Schwartzman, Micah, Flanders, Chad and Robinson, Zoe, The Rise of Corporate Religious Liberty (February 2016). Virginia Public Law and Legal Theory Research Paper No. 14.