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Rodney K. Smith directs the Center for Constitutional Studies at Utah Valley University. Dr. Smith came to Utah Valley University from the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at Arizona State, where he served as the Distinguished Professor of Practice and founding Director of the Sports Law and Business Program. Dr. Smith holds a LL.M. and SJD from the University of Pennsylvania. His dissertation was published as a book, “Public Prayer and the Constitution: A Case Study in Constitutional Interpretation.”
He previously served as the President of Southern Virginia University, a faith-based liberal arts university and as a law school dean at Capital University, the University of Montana, and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He held the Herff Chair of Excellence in Law at the University of Memphis, where he emphasized constitutional law, sports law and ethics. Dr. Smith has taught and lectured at many law schools and has authored or co-authored six books, including two highly regarded texts and more than thirty articles in law journals. He recently completed his seventh book, “Dolley and James Madison: An Unlikely Love Story that Saved America.”
His work, particularly in the First Amendment and sports law areas, has been widely cited by scholars and courts at all levels, including the United States Supreme Court. He has testified before state and congressional committees and has written for USA Today, the Christian Science Monitor, and other leading newspapers. Dr. Smith regularly appears on radio and television news programs.
In describing his book "James Madison: The Father of Religious Liberty," Dr. Rodney K. Smith writes, "Who earned the title of Father of the Constitution and Bill of Rights, including the preeminent right of religious conscience? James Madison! America has largely forgotten Madison and the depth and breadth of his service as the great intellectual and drafting force behind our constitutional rule of law. Today, many Americans think first of Washington, Jefferson, Adams, or even Hamilton, when they list the greats of the founding generation. With good reason, however, the founding generation recognized Madison as America’s greatest lawmaker. Relegating Madison and his contributions to a nation conceived in liberty to secondary status has contributed to the constitutional rule of law in America hanging by a brittle thread. Studying Madison’s life awakens the reader to a conviction that the framing of the Constitution, Bill of Rights, and Religious Liberty was Providential, a heavenly gift. It is my sincere hope, that Madison’s contributions to a nation conceived in liberty come to life in the highly informative and inspiring pages of this book."
Dr. Smith has turned his energy to writing about constitutional law, because he believes that is the single best thing he can do, as a professional matter, to bless the lives of his children and grandchildren. He is committed to the constitutional rule of law and to the belief that the United States of America can and ought to be a light to the world.
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