Jones Day, Partner
Yaakov Roth's goal is to strategically develop and effectively present the key legal arguments that will secure victory for clients through appellate advocacy and dispositive motions. He has represented clients in high-profile Supreme Court cases, argued appeals in the federal Courts of Appeals, and prepared motions to dismiss and for summary judgment across a range of substantive areas.
Yaakov's most recent Supreme Court experience includes vindicating former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell from political corruption charges, narrowing the geographic scope of private civil RICO lawsuits, and pursuing a major challenge to the Affordable Care Act from inception through high court review. At the appellate level, Yaakov's oral advocacy has included pressing a First Amendment challenge to an Ohio law prohibiting "false" campaign statements, seeking disclosure of a Justice Department policy manual concerning criminal discovery, and protecting the religious freedom rights of Death Row inmates. He has successfully defended his clients against defamation, antitrust, Title VII, and ERISA claims — including nationwide class actions — and pursued a host of challenges to federal, state, and local regulations. His ERISA experience also includes a series of withdrawal liability arbitrations and related litigation.
Yaakov speaks and writes about the Supreme Court and First Amendment issues and maintains an active pro bono practice centered around religious freedom and criminal justice.
Senior Counsel, Becket Fund for Religious Liberty
Nick Reaves joined Becket in 2018. His practice centers on First Amendment appellate litigation. Nick has played a leading role in multiple religious freedom cases at the U.S. Supreme Court and has argued in federal appellate and trial courts across the country. He has represented individuals and organizations of many faith traditions—including Sikhs, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and Christians—in their pursuit of the fundamental right to freely practice their religion.
In 2022, Nick was appointed as a Visiting Clinical Lecturer in Law at Yale Law School, where he co-directs Yale Law School’s Free Exercise Clinic. His scholarly work has been published in the Yale Law Journal Forum, the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy Per Curiam, the Virginia Journal of Social Policy & the Law, and the Notre Dame Law Review Reflection, among other leading legal journals. His writing has also been cited by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Recognized as a sought-after voice on religious freedom, Nick has spoken at institutions such as the University of Notre Dame, the University of Virginia, and Princeton Theological Seminary. He has also provided expert testimony before both the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Before joining Becket, Nick practiced trial and appellate litigation as an associate at Jones Day and clerked for Chief Judge D. Brooks Smith on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
Nick earned his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law, where he served on the Managing Board of the Virginia Law Review and was elected to the Order of the Coif. He also graduated magna cum laude from the University of Notre Dame as a member of the Glynn Family Honors Program.
Paralegal, Becket
Matthew is a paralegal at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, where he's worked since 2022. He supports the attorney team with editing, legal research, and administrative duties.
Before Becket, Matthew’s legal experience included internships with the Federalist Society and the Champaign County Public Defender’s Office.
Matthew graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science with minors in Legal Studies and Philosophy. His senior honors thesis empirically evaluated the effects of state legislation on religious liberty litigation.
Outside of work, Matthew has continued studying philosophy, law, and policy. He is currently a Richard John Neuhaus Fellow with the Public Interest Fellowship. Previously, he participated in the Hertog Foundation’s The Supreme Court & American Politics cohort as a Fellow.
In his free time, Matthew enjoys volunteering at his parish, trips to the Library of Congress manuscript room, café hopping with a book in hand around the DMV, and training for the Chicago Marathon.
Jones Day, Partner
Yaakov Roth's goal is to strategically develop and effectively present the key legal arguments that will secure victory for clients through appellate advocacy and dispositive motions. He has represented clients in high-profile Supreme Court cases, argued appeals in the federal Courts of Appeals, and prepared motions to dismiss and for summary judgment across a range of substantive areas.
Yaakov's most recent Supreme Court experience includes vindicating former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell from political corruption charges, narrowing the geographic scope of private civil RICO lawsuits, and pursuing a major challenge to the Affordable Care Act from inception through high court review. At the appellate level, Yaakov's oral advocacy has included pressing a First Amendment challenge to an Ohio law prohibiting "false" campaign statements, seeking disclosure of a Justice Department policy manual concerning criminal discovery, and protecting the religious freedom rights of Death Row inmates. He has successfully defended his clients against defamation, antitrust, Title VII, and ERISA claims — including nationwide class actions — and pursued a host of challenges to federal, state, and local regulations. His ERISA experience also includes a series of withdrawal liability arbitrations and related litigation.
Yaakov speaks and writes about the Supreme Court and First Amendment issues and maintains an active pro bono practice centered around religious freedom and criminal justice.
Litigation Update: Merck et al. v. Becerra et al.
Yaakov M. Roth
Pharmaceutical company Merck & Co., Inc. (Merck) filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of...
Litigation Update: Merck et al. v. Becerra et al.
Topics
Supreme Court to Decide Whether EMTALA Preempts State Abortion Laws: Idaho v. U.S. and Moyle v. U.S.
Abortion is before the Supreme Court once again. This month, the Court granted certiorari in...
Religious Liberty Pragmatism
Nick Reaves, Matthew Krauter
A review of Thomas C. Berg, Religious Liberty in a Polarized Age (Eerdmans 2023) In...
Topics
Religious Liberty Update on Executive Branch Actions
The Executive Branch OPPORTUNITIES FOR PUBLIC COMMENT 1. On December 29, 2022, HHS...
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HHS Proposes Rule Modifying Healthcare Conscience Regulations
On January 5, 2023, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a...
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Religious Liberty Update on U.S. Congress and Executive Branch Actions
Congress SENATE 1. On January 24, 2023, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) introduced S.29, “AMERICANS Act,”...
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The Obstruction of Justice Provision in the Mar-a-Lago Search Warrant
This post first appeared on the National Security Institute's blog, The SCIF. The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s...
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HHS’s Proposed Nondiscrimination Regulations Impose Transgender Mandate in Health Care
In accord with the Biden administration’s “health equity” and gender identity policy priorities, the Department...
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Pres. Biden Signs Camp Lejeune Justice Act Into Law
President Biden has signed the “Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022” (S.3373) into law. The Act...