Catholic Lawyers: Uniting Law and Reason

October 10-12, 2024 in Louisville, Kentucky

The CBA Conference and General Assembly in Louisville, Kentucky was a great success! This annual meeting, held this year in at the Seelbach Hilton Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky entertained interesting, provocative, and informative speakers.

In the Charles Rice Memorial Lecture, Gerard Bradley spoke about “progressive” criminal prosecutions and criminal punishment. Professor Paul DeHart gave a scholarly presentation about natural law and government by consent. Attorney and law professor Brendan Wilson spoke about the accountability of Church members and leadership. Scott Pollack discussed immigration law and religious liberty. Andrea Picciotti-Bayer addressed attacks on religious freedom in the United States. Canon and civil lawyer Bishop Thomas Paprocki, who is on the CBA Episcopal Advisory Committee, presented the St. John Fisher Lecture about legal responses to governmental threats to the Church’s freedom in this country. Attorneys, and CBA Board Members, Eric Kniffin, Nik Nikas, and Peter Wickersham had a timely panel discussion about attacks on the Priest-Penitent privilege, misconceptions about the recent and much-discussed Alabama court decision regarding abortion, and the defense of healthcare conscience rights. Nina Shea discussed why United States foreign policy ought to promote religious freedom. Finally, we were fortunate to hear Patrick Jenevein present on his litigation against Communist China.

The Most Reverend Shelton J. Fabre, Archbishop of Louisville, celebrated a reverent Mass at his Cathedral of the Assumption near the meeting site. Our Red Mass Banquet hosted John Garvey, President Emeritus of The Catholic University of America to offer our St. Thomas More Lecture. Evaluations from meeting attendees have been glowing.

The meeting was approved by fifteen States for between 7.5 and 12.5 hours of Continuing Legal Education credit. Plan to get a portion of your 2025 CLE by attending the 2025 CBA conference in Kansas City, Missouri from September 4 to 6!