From L to R: Daniel Attridge and Daniel Bress

On October 21, 2020, Catholic Law and the Center for Religious Liberty hosted a virtual event with Judge Daniel A. Bress, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The conversation with Judge Bress—who previously served as an Adjunct Faculty member at Catholic Law—was moderated by Catholic Law Professor Daniel Attridge and broken into two segments.

In the first segment, Judge Bress offered general comments on Religious Liberty. He reflected on the creation of the First Amendment right to religious freedom particularly rooted in the historical context of the time. He noted, “It’s an individual right. It’s not a group right, it’s not a right that varies based on how popular your faith may be or how unpopular it may be.”

In the second segment, Attridge opened up the conversation by posing a series of questions to Judge Bress. Early questions walked attendees through some of Judge Bress’s formative legal experiences, including his clerkships, his time spent in private practice, and teaching experience at UVA and Catholic Law. Judge Bress took the time to share his thoughts on the importance of Pro Bono work, commenting that the culture towards Pro Bono has changed for the better in recent years. He explained, there’s “a real dedication to instilling in lawyers a culture of doing work on behalf of others for free—I think that greatly matters to the integrity of the profession.” Judge Bress also spoke about his work as a judge. He, of course, discussed judicial philosophy, but he also shared that it was his calling for public service that drew him to leave private practice for the bench.

Judge Bress also provided advice for young law students today. His advice ranged from the importance of forging mentoring relationships to traits and skills that should be honed while striving to be a good lawyer. Judge Bress even noted the importance of work/life balance.

As the program drew to a close, Judge Bress shared this message for law students, “I know for many law students, and lawyers, and judges, it’s a time where we are feeling a little disassociated from each other, but I just want to tell all the law students here, you’re doing a great job. Keep it up.”