Steven G. Gey (April 6, 1956 – June 9, 2011) was an American legal academic and one of the leading U.S. scholars on religious liberties and free speech.
Early life and education
Gey was born and raised in
Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal ...
. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy from
Eckerd College
Eckerd College is a private liberal arts college in St. Petersburg, Florida. Founded in 1958, part of the campus is waterfront and beach on Boca Ciega Bay. Because of its location, Eckerd is considered a "beach school" and has its own student ...
in 1978 and a
Juris Doctor
The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law
and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...
from
Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School (Columbia Law or CLS) is the law school of Columbia University, a private Ivy League university in New York City. Columbia Law is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious law schools in the world and has always ranked i ...
in 1982. As a law student, he worked as the articles editor of the ''
Columbia Law Review
The ''Columbia Law Review'' is a law review edited and published by students at Columbia Law School. The journal publishes scholarly articles, essays, and student notes.
It was established in 1901 by Joseph E. Corrigan and John M. Woolsey, who se ...
''.
Career
Before joining the faculty at the
Florida State University College of Law
Florida State University College of Law is the law school of Florida State University located in Tallahassee, Florida.
The law school borders the southeast quadrant of the University's campus, near the Donald L. Tucker Center, an arena and part of ...
, Gey practiced law for two years at
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP (known as Paul, Weiss) is an American multinational law firm headquartered on Sixth Avenue in New York City. By profits per equity partner, it is the fifth most profitable law firm in the world.
...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, where he did extensive pro bono work, often on behalf of those facing the death penalty.
Gey worked as the David and Deborah Fonvielle and Donald and Janet Hinkle Professor at Florida State University. His scholarship includes ''Cases and Materials on Religion and the State'' and dozens of articles on religious liberties, free speech, and constitutional interpretation. Gey was an active participant in national debates regarding the teaching of evolution in public schools and he served as a regular commentator on legal issues for
ABC News
ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast ''ABC World News Tonight, ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include Breakfast television, morning ...
in the aftermath of the
2000 United States presidential election
The 2000 United States presidential election was the 54th quadrennial United States presidential election, presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 7, 2000. Republican Party (United States), Republican candidate George W. Bush, the gover ...
and ''
Bush v. Gore
''Bush v. Gore'', 531 U.S. 98 (2000), was a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court on December 12, 2000, that settled a recount dispute in Florida's 2000 presidential election between George W. Bush and Al Gore. On December 8, th ...
''. In 2007, he received the "Friend of Darwin Award" from the
National Center for Science Education
The National Center for Science Education (NCSE) is a not-for-profit membership organization in the United States whose stated mission is to educate the press and the public on the scientific and educational aspects of controversies surrounding t ...
.
A permanent law fellowship position with
Americans United for Separation of Church and State is named in honor of Gey, in appreciation of his efforts regarding religious freedoms.
Personal life
In 2006, Gey was diagnosed with
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that results in the progressive loss of motor neurons that control voluntary muscles. ALS is the most comm ...
(ALS). He died June 9, 2011.
References
External links
Florida State University College of Law faculty profile
American legal scholars
Columbia Law School alumni
Florida State University faculty
1956 births
2011 deaths
Deaths from motor neuron disease in the United States
{{US-legal-academic-bio-stub
People from Pensacola, Florida
Florida lawyers
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison people
Eckerd College alumni