AU Senior Adviser Rob Boston took part virtually in a panel discussion about book banning Oct. 4 hosted by the Canton, Mass., Public Library. The event was held to commemorate Banned Books Week, Oct. 5-11.
On Oct. 12-13, AU Vice President of Public Policy Alessandro Terenzoni addressed the Ozarks Chapter of Freedom From Religion Foundation. Speaking in Bentonville, Ark., Terenzoni participated in two exciting in-person events as part of the fourth installment of the Foundation’s 2025 Secular Speaker Series.
Speaking virtually on Oct. 16, AU Chief Program Officer Mariko Hirose and AU Vice President and Legal Director Rebecca Markert discussed how city attorneys can recognize church-state separation violations. The event was sponsored by the Public Rights Project.
On Oct. 18 via Zoom, AU Constitutional Fellow Luke Anderson delivered a timely discussion of AU’s current legal cases for the Orange County (Calif.) Chapter of AU. Anderson explained how the Constitution prohibits government officials from engaging in religious favoritism and religious coercion, and identified ongoing threats to the separation of church and state.
In a virtual meeting on Oct. 23 sponsored by Temple Isaiah in Los Angeles, AU President and CEO Rachel Laser spoke on “When Religion Becomes Politics: The Rise of Christian Nationalism.” The event was part of the Temple’s “Civics in the Synagogue” emphasis. Laser was joined by Rabbi Dara Frimmer and Temple member Idelle Davidson in the conversational dialogue.
In Washington, D.C., in person on Oct. 27, AU Associate Vice President & Associate Legal Director Alex J. Luchenitser addressed the “State of the First Amendment Religion Clauses: Recent Supreme Court Rulings and the Future of Religious Freedom.” The event was sponsored by the Freedom Forum’s Committee on Religious Liberty.