Church and State Policy Center

JSPAN’s Church and State Policy Center reviews pending Court decisions relating to either of the First Amendment religion clauses (“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”), and determines whether to recommend to our Board that a “Friend of the Court” brief be filed.

While other Americans share our belief that those clauses are the bedrock of American freedom, our almost two thousand year diaspora history -- living first within Christendom and then within Islamic societies too -- doubtless accounts for the uncommon depth and virtual unanimity with which that belief is held by American Jews.

Over our brief (eight year) history JSPAN has prepared and filed in many courts,  including the United States Supreme Court, more than fifteen such amicus briefs, either on behalf of JSPAN alone or on behalf of a coalition of Jewish and other organizations.

Participants in the Church and State Policy Center include practicing (as well as retired) lawyers, former clerks for Supreme Court Justices and Courts of Appeal Judges, and Constitutional law professors.