Jesse Merriam
Research Associate, The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life
After earning his B.A. from Wesleyan University and J.D. with honors from GW Law, Jesse practiced law at the Center for Constitutional Litigation, a civil-liberties firm focusing on challenging the
constitutionality of laws that impede access to the judicial system.
He currently writes about various constitutional issues for the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. In addition, he is in the process of
pursuing a Ph.D. in Political Science, with a focus on political and legal theory, and an M.A. in Philosophy at the Johns Hopkins University. Jesse has written several academic articles on
constitutional law and theory, particularly on issues pertaining to church-state relations.