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Press release: Josh Hawley Launches Missouri Liberty Project

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Josh Hawley, a constitutional litigator and Mizzou law professor who is representing Hobby Lobby before the U.S. Supreme Court, today launched Missouri Liberty Project, a new organization formed to fight government overreach, defend the U.S. Constitution, and inform citizens about the need for limited government.

“I’ve talked to people from all across Missouri, and what they tell me over and over is that they believe our Constitution is under threat,” Hawley said. “Federal overreach is threatening our way of life by undermining everything from free enterprise and agriculture to religious liberty. And there’s a growing sense that our democracy – at both the state and federal level – just isn’t working right. The worst part is, most Missourians don’t believe they can do anything about it. We are launching Missouri Liberty Project to give ordinary Missourians a chance to make difference, to have a voice, and to take part in some of the most important constitutional cases in the country.”

Missouri Liberty Project will tackle issues such as government overreach, protecting religious freedom, fighting for Missouri farmers, and opposing political corruption. The organization will work to raise public awareness about these important issues. The group will also conduct public opinion research and participate in significant constitutional litigation.

Hawley said the Hobby Lobby case is just one example of the kind of issue Missouri Liberty Project will emphasize. A litigator in the case, Hawley is representing Hobby Lobby in its challenge to the Obama Administration’s mandate that requires businesses to pay for abortion-inducing drugs as part of their health care coverage. Hobby Lobby’s owners, the Green family, object to funding these drugs on religious grounds.

“This case is about the right of every businessperson to run his or her business according to their deepest convictions,” Hawley said. “The Hobby Lobby case is not an isolated incident. There are Missouri citizens every day who are the victims of government overreach and Missouri Liberty Project will help give them a voice.”

A native Missourian, Josh Hawley is a constitutional litigator, law professor and religious liberty advocate. In addition to his work as counsel in the Hobby Lobby case, Hawley has litigated in most of the federal courts of appeals and numerous state courts, including Missouri, where he is helping lead the fight to defend the Constitution. Hawley is a graduate of Yale Law School, where he served as articles editor for the Yale Law Journal. He is a former clerk to Chief Justice John Roberts of the U.S. Supreme Court and Judge Michael W. McConnell of the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. He is the author of Theodore Roosevelt: Preacher of Righteousness, published by Yale University Press. Before becoming a law professor, Hawley served as an appellate attorney at the law firm of Hogan Lovells LLP in Washington, D.C.

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