Press Release

Becket lauds naming of M. Elizabeth Magill as Univ. of Virginia provost As dean of Stanford Law, she provided unwavering support of school’s Religious Liberty clinic

Media Contact

Ryan Colby 202-349-7219 media@becketlaw.org

WASHINGTON, D.C. –The University of Virginia announced late Friday that current Stanford Law School Dean M. Elizabeth Magill will become the school’s new provost starting summer of 2019. Magill’s Stanford legacy will include the Religious Liberty Law Clinic that has flourished under her leadership. The Clinic is led by Professor James Sonne and provides law students with hands-on experience in defending religious liberty for people of diverse faiths. Launched in partnership with Becket in 2013, the Clinic has since successfully defended free exercise in a variety of cases including four Sikh truck drivers who faced employment discrimination, Native American inmates who sought to grow their hair according to their faith, a Muslim congregation who fought to build a mosque, a church that was banned from running its homeless ministry and Seventh-Day Adventists who were fired for refusing to work on their Sabbath day.

“Dean Magill is an innovative and thoughtful leader. She ensured Stanford Law’s leadership role in clinical education by promoting intellectual diversity and inclusion, and a strong commitment to civil rights. I look forward to seeing the impact she will have as provost of the University of Virginia,” said Bill Mumma, chairman & CEO of Becket.

For more information or to arrange an interview with a Becket attorney, please contact Melinda Skea at media@becketlaw.org or 202-349-7224. Interviews can be arranged in English, Chinese, French, German, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.

 

###

 

Becket is a non-profit, public-interest law firm dedicated to protecting the free expression of all religious traditions. For over 20 years, it has defended clients of all faiths, including Buddhists, Christians, Jews, Hindus, Muslims, Native Americans, Sikhs, and Zoroastrians (read more).