The Law School’s Denise ’90 and Michael ’91 Mattone Center for Law and Religion has announced its student fellows for the 2024-2025 academic year.

“Our student fellows are a vital part of the Mattone Center’s work, and have been for well over a decade” says Center Director Mark Movsesian. “We select fellows each academic year from a pool of impressive St. John’s Law students. The fellows interact with scholars, judges, and prominent alumni, make important professional connections, and learn about one of the most important topics in the world today. This year, we’re pleased to welcome two new student fellows and two returning fellows.”

Noa Cadet ‘25 is the Executive Notes and Comments Editor for the Law School’s Journal of Civil Rights and Economic Development and a student member of the Faculty Council’s Equity and Inclusion Committee. Riki Markowitz ‘25 is the Symposium Editor for the St. John’s Law Review and Journal of Catholic Legal Studies. Kalina Mesrobian ‘26 is a staff member of the Law School’s American Bankruptcy Institute Law Review. Rounding out the group is Panayiotis Xenakis ‘25, who also serves on the American Bankruptcy Institute Law Review.

“Center fellowship programs provide an excellent opportunity for St. John’s Law students to foster their professional identities while building practical knowledge and skills,” says St. John’s Law Dean Jelani Jefferson Exum. “The Mattone Center explores important legal issues of the day, engaging its student fellows with prominent scholars, practitioners, and judges who are impacting law and religion dialogue, advocacy, and jurisprudence.”

The fellows’ contributions to the Mattone Center span the academic year. They write weekly “Around the Web” news roundups for the Center’s blog, the Law and Religion Forum. They also maintain the Center’s social media feeds, produce its Legal Spirits podcast, and help organize and run conferences and other Center events.

“As a Mattone Center fellow, I contribute to the Center’s work in the field and gain knowledge and insight from St. John’s Law alumni who share their interests and expertise at the intersection of law and religion,” says Markowitz, who is starting her second fellowship year. Returning fellow Panayiotis Xenakis agrees, sharing: “My participation in the fellowship has enriched my law school experience. I deeply appreciate the legal research it has allowed me to undertake in a fascinating subject area, as well as the various opportunities to meet with prominent jurists at exciting events.”

About the Mattone Center 
Established in 2010, the Mattone Center for Law and Religion at St. John’s Law provides a forum for studying law and religion from domestic, international, and comparative perspectives with the aim of:

• Examining the role of law in the relationship between religion and the state
• Exploring the concept of law in different religious traditions
• Promoting St. John’s Vincentian mission by encouraging an open dialogue on law and religion in the local, national, and international communities

In addition to hosting academic programs locally and around the world, the Center coordinates the Law School’s law and religion curriculum. It also hosts the Law and Religion Forum, a blog about recent law and religion scholarship and news, and Legal Spirits, a podcast on law and religion issues in the courts.