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Mathew Staver

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Mathew D. Staver
EducationSouthern Missionary College (BA)
Andrews University (MA)
University of Kentucky (JD)
OccupationAttorney
EmployerLiberty Counsel
Known forLitigation for religious freedom, against abortion and LGBTQ rights [1]
TitleChairman of Liberty Counsel Action[1]
SpouseAnita Staver
Websitehttps://www.lc.org/mat-staver

Mathew D. "Mat" Staver is an American lawyer and former pastor of several Seventh-day Adventist churches who became a Southern Baptist.[2][3][4] He is a former dean of Liberty University's law school. In 1989, he founded the nonprofit organization Liberty Counsel, where he serves as chairman. ProPublica called him "a leading Christian legal theorist."[5]

Education

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Staver received a B.A. in theology from Southern Missionary College, an M.A. in religion from Andrews University, and a Juris Doctor from the University of Kentucky. During college he began a process which led him to later leave the SDA church and eventually attend a Southern Baptist church.[2]

Career

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He was the pastor of three churches in Kentucky that belonged to an evangelical Protestant denomination known as the Christian Church.[6]

In 1990, he criticized the ACLU's efforts that led to removal of a Latin cross from the top of the St. Cloud, Florida water tower, stating that Liberty Counsel would be "a Christian antithesis to the ACLU."[4]

In 2000, he represented absentee voters in the Bush v. Gore election case.[7]

A Young Earth creationist who believes that intelligent design should be taught in public schools, Staver also denies Darwinian evolution.[8]

He has argued before the Supreme Court of the United States twice, before most of the federal courts of appeals,[9] and has testified before the United States Congress.[10]

In 2005, he opposed the nomination of Harriet Miers to the United States Supreme Court.[11]

Staver served as the dean of the Liberty University School of Law from 2006 to 2014.[12][13]

In 2011 he was added to the Commission on Accountability and Policy for Religious Organizations, which was established by Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley.[14]

In October 2015, Staver claimed that 100,000 people gathered in Peru to support Kim Davis in support of her refusal to issue marriage licenses. The event was shown to have happened more than a year earlier and was unrelated to Davis.[15] Liberty Counsel issued a press release, stating that Staver had relied on a member of the Congress of the Republic of Peru for the information on the rally.[16]

In 2016, Staver served on the resolutions committee for the Southern Baptist Convention.[17]

In late 2018 he voiced his opposition to including gender identity and sexual orientation in a senate bill that would make lynching a federal crime.[18] Staver "pushed back against mainstream media coverage, and explained that while no one can or should oppose a bill banning lynching, there were provisions in it that served an ill purpose."[19]

In 2020, he represented a Tampa, Florida pastor who was arrested for holding church services when the county had mandated churches to close.[20] Charges against the pastor were later dropped.[21]

Staver favors allowing religious exemptions to Covid-19 vaccine mandates.[22]

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Staver practices law on behalf of Liberty Counsel.[23]

References

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  1. ^ a b Rodgers, Bethany (September 19, 2015). "Liberty Counsel founder Mat Staver primed for battle in culture wars". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved January 13, 2019.
  2. ^ a b God on Trial: Dispatches from America's Religious Battlefields, by Peter H. Irons
  3. ^ Niebuhr, Gustav (1995-07-08). "Conservatives' New Frontier: Religious Liberty Law Firms". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-05-29.
  4. ^ a b Banks, Adelle M. (February 23, 1990). "In Defense of Religious Freedom Lawyer-Pastor: Right to Worship Threatened". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on September 17, 2020. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  5. ^ Martin, Nina. "This Alabama Judge Has Figured Out How to Dismantle Roe v. Wade". ProPublica. Retrieved 2020-05-15.
  6. ^ Banks, Adelle M. (February 23, 1990). "In Defense of Religious Freedom Lawyer-Pastor: Right to Worship Threatened". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on 2020-09-17. Retrieved 2020-10-08.
  7. ^ "OnPolitics (washingtonpost.com)". www.washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
  8. ^ Darwin Was Right! Or Was He? Orlando Weekly, September 1, 2005
  9. ^ Biography-Staver, Mathew D. Archived 2012-11-14 at the Wayback Machine Liberty University School of Law
  10. ^ "- STATE OF RELIGIOUS LIBERTY IN THE UNITED STATES". www.govinfo.gov. Retrieved 2020-07-01.
  11. ^ "'The Abrams Report' for Oct. 27th". NBC News. 28 October 2005. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
  12. ^ "Mathew D. Staver Appointed as Dean | Liberty University School of Law". School of Law. 2009-04-24. Retrieved 2023-01-30.
  13. ^ "President announces resignation of Liberty Law Dean Mat Staver » Liberty News". Liberty News. 2014-10-20. Retrieved 2023-01-30.
  14. ^ Dean Staver Appointed to Panel Regarding Religious and Nonprofit Groups
  15. ^ "Law firm labeled hate group leading Kim Davis' crusade". Retrieved 2015-10-06.
  16. ^ "Peruvian Prayer Meeting for Kim Davis Correction". www.lc.org. Retrieved October 26, 2015.
  17. ^ Allen, Bob (March 28, 2016). "Anti-hate group scrutinizes SBC resolutions committee". Baptist News Global. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  18. ^ "Evangelical group wants gays removed from anti-lynching bill". NBC News. 9 January 2019. Retrieved 2019-01-10.
  19. ^ "Christian legal group pushes back against 'false reporting' insinuating it supports lynching gays". www.christianpost.com. 11 January 2019. Retrieved 2020-05-15.
  20. ^ "Florida's coronavirus stay-at-home order doesn't bar churches from holding services". NBC News. 7 April 2020. Retrieved 2020-05-15.
  21. ^ State of Florida v. Rodney Howard-Browne
  22. ^ "Legitimate or 'loophole': Who decides if a religious objection to vaccination is sincere?". www.advisory.com. Retrieved 2023-01-30.
  23. ^ "Religious groups eye legal challenges to Delta variant restrictions and vaccine mandates". www.wrcbtv.com. 2 August 2021. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
[edit]
Academic offices
Preceded by
Bruce Green
 Dean of Liberty University School of Law
2006 – 2014 		Succeeded by
Keith Faulkner
Business positions
Preceded by
New position
 Chairman of Liberty Counsel
1989-present 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
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