James A. Davids, J.D.Email: jameda2@regent.edu
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Jim Davids is an assistant professor in the Robertson School of Government at Regent University. He holds a joint appointment in the Schools of Government and Law, where he has
taught U.S. constitutional history, election law, political philosophy, the Faith-Based and Community Initiative, Principled Political Action, Christian Foundations of Government and trial practice. Jim is the immediate Past President of the Christian Legal Society, which is the oldest and largest professional organization of Christian attorneys in the U.S. Jim previously served this Society as Legislative Counsel, during which he advocated on Capitol Hill for religious liberty and pro-life legislation.
Prior to joining Regent in 2003, Jim was the Deputy Director and Counsel of the U.S. Department of Justice's Task Force for the Faith-Based & Community Initiative. As Deputy Director, Jim provided guidance on constitutional issues to the White House and the other departmental Offices of Faith-Based & Community Initiatives. In addition, he audited the Department of Justice to determine the barriers faith-based and community organizations faced in participating in DOJ-funded programs, and he monitored cases which impacted the Faith-Based & Community Initiative.
Before joining the Department of Justice, Jim was a founding member of Hoogendoorn, Talbot, Davids, Godfrey & Milligan in Chicago. Jim's private practice experience included trying cases ranging from medical malpractice and federal regulatory actions to First Amendment and civil rights disputes. Jim is licensed to practice law in Illinois, Florida, and Virginia, he is a member of the federal trial bar of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, and he has been admitted to the bars of the U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.
Jim is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in Higher Education Administration at Regent University. Jim is a graduate of the Duke University School of Law, where he served on the Duke Law Journal. Jim is also a graduate of Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This past fall he authored a law review article on the "pervasively sectarian test" that has discriminated against people of faith, last spring he authored a law review article on faith-based programs in prisons, he has co-authored an article on medical malpractice, he authored an article on Drug Enforcement Administration inspections, and he was the primary author of the 2001 and 2002 Annual Reports on the Faith-Based & Community Initiative Audits of the Office of Justice Programs, the Bureau of Prisons, and the Immigration and Naturalization Service, United States Department of Justice.
Fields of Expertise:
- Constitutional Law and Policy
- First Amendment Law
- Law and Higher Education
- Contract Law
