Lindau Residency in Conservative Thought

Gustavus hosted Dr. Jay Sekulow as the 2016 Lindau Resident in Conservative Thought. During his visit he led discussions in six classes including: Constitutional Law, Public Policy,Conflict Resolution, and Regulation Nation. While on campus, he met formally and informally with students and student organizations and held office hours to be a resource for student projects and assignments.

Dr. Jay Sekulow is Chief Counsel of the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ).He is an accomplished Supreme Court advocate, renowned expert on religious liberty, a #1 New York Times-bestselling author, and a respected broadcaster.

At the Supreme Court of the United States, Dr. Sekulow has argued 12 cases - including several landmark cases which have become part of the legal landscape in the area of religious liberty litigation.

Townhall Magazine named Jay Sekulow to its "Townhall of Fame" and recognized him as "one of the top lawyers for religious freedom in the United States." He was named one of "The 90 Greatest Washington Lawyers of the Last 30 Years" by Legal Times and recognized for "fighting to expand liberties and protect civil rights." TIME magazine named Dr. Sekulow one of the "25 Most Influential Evangelicals" in America and called the ACLJ "a powerful counterweight" to the ACLU. Dr. Sekulow's work on the issue of judicial nominees - including possible vacancies at the Supreme Court - has received extensive news coverage including a front-page story in the Wall Street Journal. In addition, The National Law Journal has twice named Jay Sekulow one of the "100 Most Influential Lawyers" in the United States. He is also among a distinguished group of attorneys known as "The Public Sector 45" named by The American Lawyer, which said the designation represents "45 young lawyers outside the private sector whose vision and commitment are changing lives."

Dr. Sekulow hosts the national call-in radio program, Jay Sekulow Live!, which is broadcast on more than 850 radio stations, XM and SIRIUS satellite radio, and streamed live on the ACLJ website. He also hosts a weekly television program, ACLJ This Week, which is broadcast on a number of networks nationwide including the Trinity Broadcasting Network, Daystar and Sky Angel. He is a popular guest on nationally televised news programs on FOX News, ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, and PBS. He posts regularly to his blog, Faith & Justice on Beliefnet, frequently contributes articles and commentary to national publications, and is often quoted in the nation's leading newspapers including USA Today, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, and Washington Times.

Jay Sekulow is author of the #1 New York Times bestselling book, Rise of ISIS, A Threat We Can't Ignore, which provides a clear understanding of the rise of ISIS, their objectives, and the unlawful strategy used by terrorists. 

Dr. Sekulow received his PhD from Regent University, with a dissertation on American Legal History, is an honors graduate of Mercer Law School, where he served on the Mercer Law Review, and an honors graduate of Mercer University. Immediately following graduation from law school, he served in the U.S. Treasury Department in the Office of Chief Counsel for the Internal Revenue Service where he was responsible for litigation in the U.S. Tax Court.

He was appointed a senior fellow at Emory University Law School’s Center for the Study of Law and Religion. In the summer of 2013 and 2014, Sekulow was a visiting fellow and member of the Summer Research Institute at Harris Manchester College, University of Oxford. He has lectured on middle east affairs and International Law and was a visiting research scholar at Harris Manchester College, University of Oxford in the summer of 2015. He recently completed a course of study at Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management with certification in Executive Leadership and Corporate Innovation. Vanderbilt’s Executive Development Institute designated Sekulow a Owen World Shaper in 2015. He has additionally served as a faculty member for the Office of Legal Education at the United States Department of Justice.