author
Steven D. Smith
b. 1951
A leading scholar of law, religion, and constitutional theory, he writes books that ask big questions about authority, secularism, and the place of faith in public life. His work is known for being serious in argument while still inviting general readers into the debate.
1 Audiobook
Bailey's Dam
by Steven D. Smith, George J. Castille
About the author
He is a legal scholar and teacher who has served as Warren Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of San Diego, where he also helps lead the university's Institute for Law and Religion. Before joining San Diego in 2002, he taught at the University of Notre Dame, the University of Colorado, and the University of Idaho, and he has also been a visiting professor at the University of Michigan and the University of Virginia.
His writing focuses on constitutional law, jurisprudence, and law and religion. Across books such as The Disenchantment of Secular Discourse, The Rise and Decline of American Religious Freedom, and Pagans and Christians in the City, he returns to enduring questions about moral language, liberal society, and whether modern public life can make room for deep religious conviction.
He studied at Brigham Young University and earned his law degree from Yale. Readers often turn to his work for careful, challenging arguments about religious liberty and the philosophical foundations of law.