Tad Stahnke joined Human Rights First in January 2008 as director of the Fighting Discrimination program, and currently serves as director of Policy and Programs. Prior to joining Human Rights First, Tad worked at the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom from 2000 to 2007, where he served as Deputy Executive Director for Policy, as well as Acting Executive Director in 2002 and 2007. Tad led the Commission’s effort to strengthen U.S. foreign policy to advance the right to freedom of religion and belief. He participated in fact-finding missions in Asia, the Middle East and Europe, and served on official U.S. delegations to human rights conferences of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the United Nations. Tad has also served as an expert in international human rights law in training officials from the Departments of State, Justice, and Homeland Security.
Tad has worked as a research fellow and lecturer at Columbia Law School and as an associate at Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton in New York. He holds a J.D. from Columbia Law School, a Masters in Urban Planning from New York University’s Wagner School of Public Service, and a B.A. in Metropolitan Studies from NYU. Tad was also a law clerk to Judge Wilfred Feinberg of the United States Court of Appeals for the 2ndCircuit.
Tad has authored and coauthored numerous scholarly publications, including “Religion-State Issues and the Right to Freedom of Religion or Belief: A Comparative Textual Analysis of the Constitutions of Predominantly Muslim States, “Religious Diversity in the European Union: an International Human Rights Perspective, “The Right to Engage in Religious Persuasion, andReligion and Human Rights: Basic Documents, amongst others.
HHS "Contraceptive" Mandate - Litigation Update - Podcast
Mark L. Rienzi, William L. Saunders, Dean Reuter
Religious Liberties Practice Group Podcast
The controversy over the HHS contraceptive mandate has generated over 50 lawsuits, on behalf of...
Does Neutrality Equal Secularism? The European Court of Human Rights Decides Lautsi v. Italy
William L. Saunders
Engage Volume 12, Issue 3, November 2011
Introduction Religion can be an intensely personal activity. However, the idea that religion is only...
European Court of Human Rights Finds No Right to Abortion Under European Human Rights Convention
William L. Saunders
Engage Volume 12, Issue 2, September 2011
Before the European Court of Human Rights (“ECHR” or “the Court”) delivered its decision in...
Minority Religious Communities at Risk
Randolph Marshall Bell, William L. Saunders, Christopher H. Smith, Tad Stahnke
Religious Liberties Practice Group and The First Freedom Center
Many commentators assert that there is no better measure of the human rights climate in...
Minority Religious Communities at Risk
Randolph Marshall Bell, William L. Saunders, Christopher H. Smith, Tad Stahnke
Religious Liberties Practice Group and The First Freedom Center
Many commentators assert that there is no better measure of the human rights climate in...
Abortion and Military Facilities: The Effect of the Burris Amendment in the Department of Defense Authorization Bill
William L. Saunders
New Federal Initiatives Project
Brought to you by the Religious Liberties Practice GroupThe Federalist Society takes no position on particular legal...
Assisted Suicide: Montana Supreme Court Avoids State Constitutional Issue; Holds Consent Defense Available for Homicide Prosecution
William L. Saunders
Engage, Volume 11, Issue 2
In Baxter v. State, decided December 31, 2009, the Montana Supreme Court did not "constitutionalize" a...
Christian Legal Society v. Martínez
Luke Goodrich, Barry W. Lynn, Roger Pilon, Dean Reuter, William L. Saunders, Paul Smith
Religious Liberties Practice Group
The Federalist Society's Religious Liberties Practice Group, the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, and the...
Christian Legal Society v. Martínez
Luke Goodrich, Barry W. Lynn, Roger Pilon, Dean Reuter, William L. Saunders, Paul Smith
Religious Liberties Practice Group
The Federalist Society's Religious Liberties Practice Group, the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, and the...
Comparison of Conscience Provisions in Health Care Reform Bill
William L. Saunders
New Federal Initiatives Project
Brought to you by the Religious Liberties Practice Group Both the House-passed and the Senate-passed health care reform...