Press Release: Legal Scholars J. Joel Alicea and William Haun Join the American Enterprise Institute
July 15, 2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Washington, DC (July 15, 2021) — Yuval Levin, the director of Social, Cultural, and Constitutional Studies at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), announced today that two new legal scholars have joined AEI: J. Joel Alicea, assistant professor of law at The Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law, and William Haun, who serves as counsel at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a nonpartisan, nonprofit law firm dedicated to defending religious freedom for all.
Said Yuval Levin, “Joel and Will are two of the brightest stars of the rising generation of constitutionalist legal scholars. We are thrilled to have them join our team, and help chart the next phase of conservative constitutionalism at AEI.”
Mr. Alicea and Mr. Haun will be part of a new AEI initiative, the Center for American Constitutional Governance, which has been created to restore the integrity and order of the American constitutional system, with an emphasis on the proper roles of Congress, the executive, and the courts; a renewal of federalism; and a rekindled understanding of citizenship, civil society, and republican virtue.
Mr. Alicea teaches courses in American constitutional theory, civil procedure, and constitutional law. He previously specialized in constitutional litigation when he was in private practice and served as a law clerk for Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. on the US Supreme Court and Judge Diarmuid F. O’Scannlain on the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Mr. Haun started his legal career as an attorney-adviser to an administrative law judge at the US Department of Labor. He clerked for Judge Claude M. Hilton of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia and Judge Janice Rogers Brown of the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit. While in private practice, he litigated cases involving constitutional, administrative, and antitrust law before the US Supreme Court and federal appellate courts.
Said Mr. Alicea, “We are living through a time when America’s constitutional tradition faces many challenges, and AEI is going to play a leading role in addressing them. I’m honored to join Yuval’s team.”
Added, Mr. Haun, “AEI has a long and storied legacy of scholars shepherding our constitutional traditions and defending human dignity. I am honored to contribute toward that legacy and explore the commitment to religious liberty that makes self-government and human flourishing possible.”
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