Audra L. Savage – Religious Liberty Essay Contest 2014: First Place

First place winner in the 2014 Religious Liberty Essay Contest, Audra Savage, is a Master of Laws (LLM) candidate at Emory Law School’s Center for the Study of Law and Religion. Her paper, “Turning the Other Cheek: The Persecution of the Christian Minority,” written for Professor Johan van der Vyver’s class at Emory, was presented at three academic conferences in three different countries and will be published in the Florida Journal of International Law. Audra received her Juris Doctor (JD) degree from Columbia University School of Law and a Bachelor of Science in communication studies and international studies from Northwestern University. She decided to pursue the LLM at Emory because she has a passion for religious freedom. She recognized the need for lawyers to aid in the fight against religious intolerance, both at home and abroad. Her research interests include the protection of religious minorities, both under US law and international law, as well as the law encompassing religious organizations and religious rights for commercial corporations.  Her hometown is Houston, Texas, but she has lived in, worked in or visited more than half of the 50 states and at least 25 different countries (and counting). She is a horseback riding enthusiast and began taking lessons in English saddle in Alexandria, VA, where she competed, and continues to ride in Atlanta, GA.