Brady Earley, ’24, Earns Second Prize in 2022 Program on Church, State & Society Writing Competition

Program on Church, State & Society names winners of 2022 writing competition

Denise Wager
June 1, 2022 Notre Dame Law School

Notre Dame Law School’s Program on Church, State & Society has announced the winners of its annual writing competition.

First place went to Michael Bradley, a member of the Law School’s Class of 2022, for his paper, “Religious Symbols, the Establishment Clause, and Reasons Neutrality.” Bradley will receive a $3,000 cash prize.

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The other winners included:

Brady Earley, a first-year law student at the University of Chicago Law School, was awarded second prize for his article, “Sacred Ground: Unearthing Religious Freedom of African American Slaves.” He received a $2,000 cash prize.

“I picked my topic after participating in an American studies seminar on African American slavery in colonial British North America and the United States. As I was taking that course, I was fascinated to learn about the religious traditions that many African Americans brought with them to North America,” Earley said. “I wanted to explore how the institution of slavery challenged the U.S. commitment to the free exercise of religion. The research showed me how overlooking ‘incidental’ infringements on religious freedom leads to disproportionate burdens on free exercise.”