Did Virginia State University Target Christian Students?

Welcome to the Napa Legal Podcast, where we discuss religious liberty from the perspective of faith-based nonprofits. In this week’s episode, Frank DeVito is joined by Alexa Kowalewski, a recent graduate of Notre Dame Law School. They cover three stories. First, a North Carolina town that is using its zoning code to evict a small church from a rented event space where theaters, wedding venues, and bars are all permitted. Second, a lawsuit by two Christian student groups at Virginia State University, which stripped Christian organizations of their independent status, placed them under a single campus minister, and exempted Muslim and other non-Christian groups. Third, an update on California’s lawsuit against Heartbeat International, in which the state is seeking more than $20 million in penalties and a gag order that would bar pro-life pregnancy centers from even telling women about abortion pill reversal. Chapter markers 0:00 Intro 1:50 A North Carolina town tells a church to stop meeting 3:25 First Liberty responds to the demand letter 4:51 RLUIPA land use fights and the Missionaries of St. John the Baptist case 5:48 Why the ordinance isn’t neutral or generally applicable under Employment Division v. Smith 7:41 RLUIPA’s equal terms problem: only 2 of 14 zoning districts allow churches 8:35 Why local zoning fights must be fought early 9:55 Alexa: describe the same facts without the word “church” 12:41 Virginia State University’s new campus ministry policy 13:38 Christian groups lose their registered student organization status 15:34 The exemption for Muslim and non-Christian groups 17:01 The campus minister’s explanation and the end of Sunday church shuttles 18:08 Frank: campus ministries versus more orthodox outside groups 20:05 Establishment Clause or Free Exercise? Lemon, Kennedy, and the better claim 21:30 Heartbeat International and the Abortion Pill Rescue Network 23:22 New Beginnings: abortion pill reversal in rural Arkansas 25:46 California seeks $20 million and a gag order 27:07 How abortion pill reversal works 28:32 Why consumer protection law doesn’t fit nonprofits 29:28 Progesterone versus mifepristone safety 31:20 The chilling effect on pregnancy centers and the Thomas More Society’s defense 32:53 Alexa: the pro-choice movement’s limits on choice 34:42 Wrap-up Lawyers: applications for the Good Counselor Project, Napa Legal’s fellowship for Christian attorneys, are open until December 1. Learn more at https://www.napalegalinstitute.org/ For more about Napa Legal and our work, visit our website here:https://www.napalegalinstitute.org/ For more of the Napa Legal Podcast, visit our site here:https://www.napalegalinstitute.org/th... The Napa Legal Podcast, October 13, 2026 #religiousliberty #prolife #freedomofreligion