Marci Hamilton's New Book

Missed in all the hoopla over Noah Feldman's new book (just how did his literary agent get the cover of the NYT Magazine?) is Marci Hamilton's important and provocative new book "God vs. The Gavel: Religion and the Rule of Law" (Cambridge University Press). The book is actually selling very well, despite no NYT cover, and should be noted by MOJ readers. Marci is the distinguished constitutionalist and law & religion scholar at Cardozo, who is familiar from speaking on many distinguished panels and as a leading litigator in Church-State cases. I have long admired Marci for the sophistication and integrity of her views, and she has been a welcome guest here at Villanova. Marci has long been somewhat unusual: a religious person who is a strict (and passionate) non-accomodationist. Her book catalogs the many types of harm that religion can inflict on children and others, and she argues for expansive regulation of conduct associated with religious belief, a diminished scope of judicially-established constitutional protection and a greater role for legislative determination of the consistency of religious conduct and the public good. She draws on her experience in RFRA litigation and as a advocate on behalf of the victims of clerical sexual abuse. Last Thursday held a booksigning and presentation at one of our local bookstores, where she had to endure questioning from three Villanova law profs  (Kathy Brady, Pat Brennan and myself) each of whom had reservations about her thesis. Marci handled herself with her usual aplomb. MOJ would be interested in hearing from those who have read her book and would like to have comments posted, so please feel free to email them to me. If we get a thread going, I will invite Marci to chipin. Rick will be reviewing "God vs the Gavel" along with Feldman's book in an up coming issue of Commonweal.

--Mark