Kelly Shackelford - First Liberty

Kelly J. Shackelford, Esq. is President and Chief Executive Officer of First Liberty Institute. Mr. Shackelford is a constitutional scholar who has argued before the United States Supreme Court, testified before the U.S. House and Senate and has won numerous landmark First Amendment and religious liberty cases, including three landmark religious liberty victories in the U.S. Supreme Court — Kennedy v. Bremerton, Carson v. Makin and American Legion v. America Humanist Association.

Mr. Shackelford was named one of the 25 Greatest Texas Lawyers of the past quarter century by Texas Lawyer, and is the recipient of the prestigious William Bentley Ball Award for Life and Religious Freedom Defense for his leadership and pioneering work protecting religious freedom.

Mr. Shackelford is on the Board of Trustees of the United States Supreme Court Historical Society. He has been featured in the National Law Journal, Associated Press, The New York Times, The Washington Times, The L.A. Times, and many others.

He was an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Texas Law School and graduated cum laude from Baylor University (1985) and graduated from Baylor Law School (1988) with the highest unadjusted GPA in his graduating class.

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News

June 2022 New Poll Shows Court-packers Will Fail Again in Wake of SCOTUS Leak

In the game of football, a Hail Mary pass is a desperate, last-ditch attempt to salvage a win by throwing a long pass downfield in hopes it will be caught for a touchdown. It rarely succeeds. In early May, an unprecedented leak of a Supreme Court draft opinion set off roiling left-wing protests when it indicated the infamous Roe v. Wade ruling on abortion might be reversed.

February 2022 Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson is a threat to Constitutional rights

After weeks of waiting, President Joe Biden announced on Friday that he will nominate Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court to succeed retiring Justice Stephen Breyer. If confirmed, Americans can expect a Justice committed to continuing her career of liberal activism on the bench.

November 2021 Biden's Supreme Court commission failed to convince Americans to change anything

Shortly after taking office, President Joe Biden created a Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States. The commission appeared to be political cover for those on the Left hoping they could reshape the U.S. Constitution to secure the Left’s political gains of 2020. They have, thus far, failed to convince the American people to change anything, let alone remaking the Supreme Court to suit their ideological purposes.

October 2021 Supreme Court-packing threat looms as justices return

As the Supreme Court of the United States returns to in-person arguments, the only audience allowed will be on the other side of live-streamed audio. All ears will be tuned to One First Street, NE, as the justices consider several cases impacting our constitutional rights.

September 2021 Don't Destroy Americans' Trust in the Supreme Court

Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer has been making the rounds on his book tour this summer, fielding uncomfortable questions about why he hasn't quit his job and fending off demands from the Left to "pack the court."

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First in the fight for your religious liberty.

Religious liberty is our first liberty as Americans. At First Liberty Institute, we know that it can be confusing when you face a challenge to your religious liberty. No one should have to face it alone.

That’s where First Liberty can help. We have decades of experience making sure people just like you get the help they deserve. We are a nationwide, religious liberty law firm with an unmatched record of defending religious liberty—in our schools, for our houses of worship, in the military, and throughout the public arena.

If you believe your religious liberty has been threatened or violated, please fill out the form below so we can evaluate your case.

Our legal intake team personally evaluates each request for legal help and may follow up with you over the phone for more information about your specific situation. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to take every case, but if we do, our legal services are provided at no charge to you (pro bono).

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