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Podcasts | Religious Freedom

Ryan Bangert: The Arc of Religious Liberty in American History

September 14, 2026

On this episode of Higher Ed Now, ACTA President Michael Poliakoff welcomes Ryan Bangert, Senior Vice President of the Alliance Defending Freedom and Visiting Instructor in Law at the University of Austin at Texas, who specializes in the American constitutional tradition of religious liberty. From the emergence of religious beliefs as an inalienable right, to the evolution of our understanding of freedom of religion 250 years into the American experiment, the conversation traces the past, present, and future of religious liberty in the United States.

Note: Please check any quotations against the audio recording. A transcript is available upon request. The views expressed by guests on this podcast are their own and may not necessarily reflect those of ACTA.

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