At a time when constitutional rights face continuing pressures---from campus censorship to race-based government policies---one organization has spent the last 35 years winning legal battles that set lasting precedents for individual liberty.
The Center for Individual Rights was founded in 1989 to defend constitutional principles through strategic litigation. Its first major Supreme Court victory, Rosenberger v. University of Virginia in 1995, established that public universities cannot discriminate based on religious viewpoint---a principle that continues to influence cases to this day. CIR also secured landmark victories challenging race-based admissions policies in the University of Michigan cases.
Our guest on this episode of Voices of Freedom is Todd Gaziano, who became CIR's president in 2023. Before joining CIR, he led legal centers at both the Pacific Legal Foundation and the Heritage Foundation, served as a commissioner on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, and worked in the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel and as chief counsel to a House subcommittee. He discusses CIR's strategic approach to defending equal protection, religious liberty, free speech, and competitive federalism---and explains why these constitutional battles matter for every American.
Topics Discussed on this Episode:
- Todd's path to the Center for Individual Rights and the most urgent threats to constitutional rights today
- The 30-year legacy of Rosenberger v. University of Virginia and its impact on campus free speech
- CIR's current cases challenging race-based policies in Portland schools and within federal programs
- Religious liberty and competitive federalism: why these areas matter
- Concerns and hopes for the future of constitutional rights in America