Professor Brownstein Comments for Washington Post on Legal Definition of Religion
Professor Alan Brownstein commented for the Washington Post on the definition of religion in American jurisprudence. The article concerns a swingers club in Nashville, Tennessee that seeks to define itself as a religious organization in order to circumvent zoning restrictions.
Professor Brownstein said that American courts have struggled to define religion. "We're worried that if we define religion too narrowly, we'll end up excluding some belief systems that do deserve to be recognized," Brownstein said. "It's very hard to come up with a good definition of religion that includes everything we want to be covered and only excludes what we think should be excluded."
Professor Brownstein, a nationally recognized Constitutional Law scholar, taught Constitutional Law, Law and Religion, and Torts at UC Davis School of Law for more than 30 years. Prior to his retirement from teaching, he held the Boochever and Bird Endowed Chair for the Study and Teaching of Freedom and Equality.