Ronald J. Rychlak
Encyclopedia
Ronald J. Rychlak is an American
lawyer
, jurist
, author
and political commentator. He is the Associate Dean For Academic Affairs and the Mississippi Defense Lawyers Association Professor
of Law at the University of Mississippi School of Law
, and is known for his published works, career as an attorney, and writings on the role of Pope Pius XII
in World War II
.
Rychlak attended Wabash College
and received a Bachelor of Arts
degree
cum laude in economics
in 1980. Next he attended Vanderbilt University School of Law, where he was honored with the Order of the Coif
and received his Juris Doctor
(J.D.) in 1983.
Rychlak is married, has six children and resides in Oxford, Mississippi
.
Rychlak is a Roman Catholic and belongs to the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars.
, Rychlak was an attorney with Jenner & Block in Chicago
. He clerked for Judge Harry W. Wellford
of the United States Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.
In 2003 Rychlak served as an academic fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, and he studied counter-terrorism in a program in Israel. In 2004, the State Department sent him to Paris in order to address a meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe on the issue of free speech on the Internet
. He is a signatory to the Nashville Declaration on the Church and the Holocaust and as such was honored by the U.S. Holocaust Museum in 2007. In 2008, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Zagreb presented him with a Blessed Cardinal Stepinac medal for his historical work.
Rychlak's memberships include the Phi Kappa Phi
Honor Society, the National Association of Scholars, the editorial board of The Gaming Law Review, the Society of Catholic Social Scientists, the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars, the International Masters of Gaming Law, and the International Brotherhood of Magicians
. He was appointed by the Mississippi Supreme Court to be a member of the committee working on a revision of Mississippi's criminal code, and he is a member of the Mississippi Advisory Committee to the U.S. Civil Rights Commission.
Rychlak advises the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See
to the United Nations
on various issues of international law. He also serves as a delegate at the meetings of the Assembly of States Parties to the International Criminal Court
. He is the author or co-author of seven books and numerous articles. He is also a panelist for The Washington Post’s “On Faith” blog and a columnist for Crisis magazine online (hosted on InsideCatholic.com).
His most recent book, co-authored with his colleague David Case, is Environmental Law, part of the Oceana Law for the Layperson series put out by Oxford University Press
. His books Righteous Gentiles: How Pius XII and the Catholic Church Saved Half a Million Jews from the Nazis (Spence Publishing, 2005) and Hitler, the War, and the Pope (Genesis Press, 2000), address the claim that Pope Pius XII
failed to stand up for the victims of Nazi aggression in World War II
. He often speaks and writes on that topic.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, jurist
Jurist
A jurist or jurisconsult is a professional who studies, develops, applies, or otherwise deals with the law. The term is widely used in American English, but in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth countries it has only historical and specialist usage...
, author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and political commentator. He is the Associate Dean For Academic Affairs and the Mississippi Defense Lawyers Association Professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of Law at the University of Mississippi School of Law
University of Mississippi School of Law
The University of Mississippi School of Law, also known as Ole Miss Law, is an ABA-accredited law school located on the campus of the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi. The School of Law opened in 1854 and is the fourth-oldest state-supported law school in the country...
, and is known for his published works, career as an attorney, and writings on the role of Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII
The Venerable Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Rychlak attended Wabash College
Wabash College
Wabash College is a small, private, liberal arts college for men, located in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Along with Hampden-Sydney College and Morehouse College, Wabash is one of only three remaining traditional all-men's liberal arts colleges in the United States.-History:Wabash College was founded...
and received a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree
Academic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
cum laude in economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
in 1980. Next he attended Vanderbilt University School of Law, where he was honored with the Order of the Coif
Order of the Coif
The Order of the Coif is an honor society for United States law school graduates. A student at an American law school who earns a Juris Doctor degree and graduates in the top 10 percent of his or her class is eligible for membership if the student's law school has a chapter of the...
and received his Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
(J.D.) in 1983.
Rychlak is married, has six children and resides in Oxford, Mississippi
Oxford, Mississippi
Oxford is a city in, and the county seat of, Lafayette County, Mississippi, United States. Founded in 1835, it was named after the British university city of Oxford in hopes of having the state university located there, which it did successfully attract....
.
Rychlak is a Roman Catholic and belongs to the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars.
Career
Before becoming a professor at the University of MississippiUniversity of Mississippi
The University of Mississippi, also known as Ole Miss, is a public, coeducational research university located in Oxford, Mississippi. Founded in 1844, the school is composed of the main campus in Oxford, four branch campuses located in Booneville, Grenada, Tupelo, and Southaven as well as the...
, Rychlak was an attorney with Jenner & Block in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. He clerked for Judge Harry W. Wellford
Harry W. Wellford
Harry Walker Wellford is a former federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.- Early life and education :...
of the United States Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.
In 2003 Rychlak served as an academic fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, and he studied counter-terrorism in a program in Israel. In 2004, the State Department sent him to Paris in order to address a meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe on the issue of free speech on the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
. He is a signatory to the Nashville Declaration on the Church and the Holocaust and as such was honored by the U.S. Holocaust Museum in 2007. In 2008, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Zagreb presented him with a Blessed Cardinal Stepinac medal for his historical work.
Rychlak's memberships include the Phi Kappa Phi
Phi Kappa Phi
The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi is an honor society established 1897 to recognize and encourage superior scholarship without restriction as to area of study and to promote the "unity and democracy of education"...
Honor Society, the National Association of Scholars, the editorial board of The Gaming Law Review, the Society of Catholic Social Scientists, the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars, the International Masters of Gaming Law, and the International Brotherhood of Magicians
International Brotherhood of Magicians
International Brotherhood of Magicians is the world's largest organization for professional and amateur magicians, with approximately 15,000 members worldwide. The headquarters is in St...
. He was appointed by the Mississippi Supreme Court to be a member of the committee working on a revision of Mississippi's criminal code, and he is a member of the Mississippi Advisory Committee to the U.S. Civil Rights Commission.
Rychlak advises the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
to the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
on various issues of international law. He also serves as a delegate at the meetings of the Assembly of States Parties to the International Criminal Court
International Criminal Court
The International Criminal Court is a permanent tribunal to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression .It came into being on 1 July 2002—the date its founding treaty, the Rome Statute of the...
. He is the author or co-author of seven books and numerous articles. He is also a panelist for The Washington Post’s “On Faith” blog and a columnist for Crisis magazine online (hosted on InsideCatholic.com).
His most recent book, co-authored with his colleague David Case, is Environmental Law, part of the Oceana Law for the Layperson series put out by Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
. His books Righteous Gentiles: How Pius XII and the Catholic Church Saved Half a Million Jews from the Nazis (Spence Publishing, 2005) and Hitler, the War, and the Pope (Genesis Press, 2000), address the claim that Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII
The Venerable Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....
failed to stand up for the victims of Nazi aggression in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He often speaks and writes on that topic.
External links
- Goldhagen vs. Pius XII Catholic Education Resource Center
- The Priests of Dachau CatholiCity
- Historical Dishonesty: The Big Lie of John Cornwell’s Book Hitler’s Pope Catholic Answers
- Cardinal Stepinac, Pope Pius XII, and the Roman Catholic Church During the Second World War The Catholic Social Science Review
- Will the Government Tell Christians to Shut Up? Catholic Answers
- "NOTHING IS EVER ANYBODY’S FAULT" Do We Choose to Act or Are We Merely Conditioned? Catholic Answers
- Should Catholics Be Environmentalists? Catholic Answers
- Why I Don't Hold Hands at Mass Catholic Answers
- Fr. Christian and the Paris Underground Voices - Women for Faith and Family
- Understanding Visual Exhibits in the Global Warming Debate The Heartland Institute
- List of publications by Rychlak