Thomas Berg, professor of law at the University of St. Thomas, recently spoke with Minnesota Lawyer about an amicus brief that was sent to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ahead of verbal arguments in Apache Stronghold v. United States of America – a dispute over Oak Flat, a part of the Tonto National Forest in southeastern Arizona.
From the story:
“This case is vital to Native American practices, and our clinic supports strong religious liberty for all faiths,” Berg said. “And the scholars who joined this brief as amici have expertise in the background and 30-year history of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA); they explain why the 9th Circuit’s narrow definition of a ‘substantial burden’ undermines both the text and several important applications of that statute.”