Former Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost delivered a lecture to students on Sept. 17 on how recent Supreme Court decisions are redesigning the separation of church and state. 

The lecture at the Cleveland State Univeristy College of Law focused on the first Amendment and the line between church and state. The law school and CSU Center for Civics, Culture and Society co-sponsored the event in honor of Constitution Day.

Yost’s lecture, “The Establishment and the Establishment Clause: The Future of Religion in the American Public Square,” addressed the shift in religious freedom following the U.S. Supreme Court’s Kennedy v. Bremerton School District decision in 2022. The landmark ruling dismantled the 1971 Lemon v. Kurtzman test, a long-standing legal standard that dictated how public institutions handle religious expression.

"To date, what constitutes an establishment of religion is often governed under the three-part test set forth in the U.S. Supreme Court case of Lemon v. Kurtzman," Yost explained, arguing that many legal practitioners and public officials continue to tread cautiously despite shifting Supreme Court standards.

He pointed to Coach Joe Kennedy’s high-profile fight in Kennedy v. Bremerton which looked at Kennedy praying on the 50-yard line as a turning point in how courts view religious freedom on public grounds.

For students in attendance, the lecture put a compelling lens on a changing legal and political landscape. 

Aaron Linville, a freshman electrical engineering major, reflected on the current events that make these constitutional debates needed.  

"Once people in power lead, a shift will happen," Linville, 28, noted, observing that there is "no way of doing so" without structural leadership driving the change. Pointing to the value of open debate on campus, he added, "I enjoyed it, CSU should have more events like this!"  

The event was organized by Kishore Jayabalan, assistant director of the Center for Civics, Culture and Society, with the support of center director Dr. Peter Koritansky. Both emphasized that bringing foundational texts and lively debate to students remain essential for a healthy democracy.  

“We wanted to honor Constitution Day by encouraging professors, students, and well-informed citizens to further inquiry and discussion,” Jayabalan said, citing the center's mission to bridge civil dialogue with rigorous legal study.  

With pocket Constitutions handed out to attendees and crucial issues on the ballot in the November midterms, the event left students with a timely reminder: Constitutional standards are not fixed, they evolve with the times and culture.