Visiting Scholar to Explore Religious Freedom in Thursday Constitution Day Address

Visiting Scholar to Explore Religious Freedom in Thursday Constitution Day Address

The University of Toledo's Institute of American Constitutional Thought and Leadership will explore some of the nuances of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in its first Constitution Day Address on Thursday, Sept. 26.

Dr. Vincent Phillip Muñoz, founding director of the Center for Citizenship & Constitutional Government at the University of Notre Dame, will present "Freedom From or For Religion?" from 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. in the McQuade Law Auditorium.

Lunch will be provided at the free, public lecture.

Muñoz, who also serves as the Tocqueville Professor of Political Science and a professor of law at Notre Dame, writes and teaches on Constitutional law, American politics and political philosophy with a focus on religious liberty and the founding of the United States. His scholarship has been cited in church-state opinions by the U.S. Supreme Court, and his most recent book, Religious Liberty and the American Founding: Natural Rights and the Original Meanings of the First Amendment Religion Clauses, was published by the University of Chicago Press in 2022.

"The Institute for Constitutional Thought and Leadership is honored to host Professor Muñoz for our first annual Constitution Day Address," said Dr. Michael Gonzalez, executive director of UToledo's Institute for Constitutional Thought and Leadership. "In addition to directing a program at the University of Notre Dame that is a model for UToledo's institute, Professor Muñoz is a leading scholar of America's natural rights tradition, especially the rights of religious liberty outlined in the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment. He is an excellent speaker to begin our Constitution Day tradition, which we hope will promote friendly, robust discussion of America's founding principles."

Constitution Day is an annual observation that commemorates the formation and signing of the U.S. Constitution on Sept. 17, 1787.

The Institute of American Constitutional Thought and Leadership is a multidisciplinary center at UToledo that was created and funded by the Ohio Legislature in 2023. Through teaching, research and public programming, the institute provides a space for diverse voices to discuss and debate key questions about U.S. society, history and politics.

Free on-campus parking is available for the event, but attendees must register their vehicles in advance on the ParkUToledo website. Registered guests may park in any A Permit parking area on this date. All vehicles must be parked with their license plate facing the drive aisle. Metered parking is also available in Area 12 within marked spaces facing the Center for Performing Arts. Metered rates can be found at the payment kiosk.

For more information, go to the institute website.