A Washingtonian law student is one of this year’s Murphy Fellows at the University of Notre Dame. This is a new fellowship to support students who are studying law and religion.
Olivia Lyons
According to the official website of the University of Notre Dame, Olivia Lyons from Washington, D.C., is one of the four chosen students to be part of the Murphy Fellowship for 2022-2023.
Lyons is currently taking up law to pursue her passion for religious liberty. She explained that her choice of studying under ND Law is strongly influenced by how the university values its Catholic identity and free speech in the academic setting.
Based on her Linkedin profile, Lyons completed a Bachelor of Arts in the Program of Liberal Studies and Economics in 2020. It is a careful study, analysis, and critique of the seminal works of Western philosophical, theological, and literary thought. It develops students to read texts critically, formulate articulate and thoughtful arguments, and communicate effectively.
Her educational attainment and skillset led her to a market research analyst position. She resigned from her role in April 2022 to focus on her studies.
As a student at the University of Notre Dame and now a selected Murphy Fellow, Lyons is more than excited to explore more about religious freedom further. She looks forward to learning from the school’s first-class faculty and strong community.
Lyons, together with other fellows, will join the programming of both the Program on Church, State & Society and the Religious Liberty Initiative. They will also have the chance to participate in the Law School’s Religious Liberty Clinic during their second and third years.
Other chosen Murphy Fellows include Joseph Andres, Hadiah Mabry, and Tess Skehan.
Murphy Fellowship
The same article revealed that the newly established fellowship is named after the former Notre Dame Law Professor Edward J. Murphy. He was a Catholic legal scholar and law teacher at the same time.
Murphy took on different high positions at Notre Dame. From being a faculty member in 1957, he became the acting dean from 1970 to 1971. He also directed the Notre Dame Summer Program in Japan in 1974. He also served as the first chaired law professor at Notre Dame in 1979 with his appointment as the John N. Matthews Professor of Law.
Many of his colleagues remembered Murphy as an exemplary teacher and role model in his commitment to serving the university and the church. He integrated faith and morality with the law.
After 37 years, Murphy retired as a faculty member at Notre Dame. He passed away in 1995, a year after his retirement.
However, despite his passing, he has left a legacy. He has influenced many teachers and students to stand for their faith. Another professor also followed Murphy’s way of starting his classes with the Sign of the Cross.
According to Richard Garnett, the Paul J. Shierl/Fort Howard Corporation Professor of Law and director of Notre Dame Law School’s Program on Church, State & Society, the said fellowship that supports students who engage in discussion about church-state relations and religious freedom deserves to be named after the late Professor Murphy. It is only fitting for him to have a namesake fellowship that shares the same passion just as him.
