Co-author of amicus brief in recent US Supreme Court case Mahmoud v. Taylor to discuss potential impacts on school districts and curriculum

WHO: Public School Defenders Hub, a nonprofit project of Contemporary Policy Institute, is partnering with two national nonprofits, PEN America and Americans United for Separation of Church and State, to discuss the recent Supreme Court case, Mahmoud v. Taylor, and its ripple effects across public schools.

WHAT: Jenny Samuels, Litigation Counsel for Americans United for Separation of Church and State (author of AU’s amicus brief in Mahmoud v. Taylor), and Tasslyn Magnusson, Senior Advisor for Freedom to Read at PEN America, will participate in a brief forum led by Andy Thorburn, President of Contemporary Policy Institute. Topics include the “opt out” ruling, justice interpretations, and how the ruling may impact school districts and curriculum locally and across the nation.

WHEN: Saturday, September 27, 2025 at 9 a.m. PST.

WHERE: This is a free, online event. For more information and to register, visit: https://pen.org/event/defending-the-freedom-to-learn/

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Contemporary Policy Institute (CPI) (https://www.contemporarypolicyinstitute.org/)

Based in Anaheim, CA, CPI is a private foundation started by former businessman, educator and political activist Andy Thorburn. Guided by the motto “Fact-driven. Issue based.”, CPI develops factual content to inform public debate on any number of current issues.

Public School Defenders Hub (https://www.cpihub.org/)

A CPI project now in its third year, the Defenders Hub is a nonprofit coalition of statewide organizations that support public education through advocacy, education, resources and trainings.

PEN America (https://pen.org/), is a nonprofit organization founded in New York in 1922. Its goal is to raise awareness for the protection of free expression in the United States and worldwide through the advancement of literature and human rights.

Americans United for Separation of Church and State (https://www.au.org/) was founded in 1947 and is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit educational and advocacy organization that works to safeguard religious freedom. For more information on the Supreme Court case, see https://www.au.org/the-latest/press/supreme-court-mahmoud-taylor-lgbtq/