Kevin Hasson
Encyclopedia
Kevin J. "Seamus" Hasson, Esq. is Founder and President of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a non-partisan public-interest law firm that represents persons of all faiths.
Before founding the Becket Fund in 1994, Hasson was an attorney at Williams & Connolly
in Washington D.C., where he focused on religious liberty litigation. From 1986 to 1987, he served in the Office of Legal Counsel
at the Justice Department
where he advised the White House
and cabinet departments on church-state relations.
He is a 1985 magna cum laude graduate of the University of Notre Dame
Law School, and also holds a Masters Degree in theology
from Notre Dame. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Bible Literacy Project, publishers of the curriculum The Bible and Its Influence
for public high school literature courses.
Hasson signed his name to a full-page advertisement in the December 5, 2008 edition of The New York Times
which objected to violence and intimidation against religious institutions following the passage of Proposition 8
. The ad stated that "violence and intimidation are always wrong, whether the victims are believers, gay people, or anyone else". A dozen other religious and human rights activists from several different faiths also signed the ad, noting that they "differ on important moral and legal questions", including Proposition 8.
Before founding the Becket Fund in 1994, Hasson was an attorney at Williams & Connolly
Williams & Connolly
Williams & Connolly LLP is a prominent litigation firm based in Washington, D.C. The firm was founded by trial lawyer Edward Bennett Williams, who left the partnership of D.C. firm Hogan & Hartson to launch his own litigation boutique....
in Washington D.C., where he focused on religious liberty litigation. From 1986 to 1987, he served in the Office of Legal Counsel
Office of Legal Counsel
The Office of Legal Counsel is an office in the United States Department of Justice that assists the Attorney General in his function as legal adviser to the President and all executive branch agencies.-History:...
at the Justice Department
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
where he advised the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
and cabinet departments on church-state relations.
He is a 1985 magna cum laude graduate of the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
Law School, and also holds a Masters Degree in theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
from Notre Dame. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Bible Literacy Project, publishers of the curriculum The Bible and Its Influence
The Bible and Its Influence
The Bible and Its Influence is a textbook first published in 2005 to facilitate teaching about the Bible in American public high schools. Its publishers, the Bible Literacy Project, say the textbook allows schools to study the Bible academically while fully respecting the Establishment Clause of...
for public high school literature courses.
Hasson signed his name to a full-page advertisement in the December 5, 2008 edition of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
which objected to violence and intimidation against religious institutions following the passage of Proposition 8
California Proposition 8 (2008)
Proposition 8 was a ballot proposition and constitutional amendment passed in the November 2008 state elections...
. The ad stated that "violence and intimidation are always wrong, whether the victims are believers, gay people, or anyone else". A dozen other religious and human rights activists from several different faiths also signed the ad, noting that they "differ on important moral and legal questions", including Proposition 8.