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Published by the Freedom From Religion Foundation, Inc.
Vol. 41 No. 04 May 2024

Elliott, Cavell lead FFRF’s legal team

Patrick Elliott
Liz Cavell

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is pleased to announce that FFRF Senior Counsel Patrick Elliott has been named FFRF’s new legal director and FFRF Associate Counsel Elizabeth (Liz) Cavell is FFRF’s first deputy legal director.

Elliott takes over the position previously held by Rebecca Markert, who left in mid-April after working for FFRF for 15 years. FFRF will be ever grateful for Rebecca’s major contributions creating and managing FFRF’s legal department and for serving as FFRF’s first attorney.

Elliott, who was first hired in February 2010, became FFRF’s second attorney, after graduating from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 2009 and has specialized in litigation. He has served as lead counsel in five cases and co-counsel in at least 14 FFRF lawsuits:

• Cragun v. Merril, in which Alabama agreed in 2021 to change its voter registration forms to permit secular affirmations (2021).

• Mays v. Cabell County Board of Education, successfully settling a lawsuit against an in-school revival with adoption of new school policies and payment of $175,000 in fees (2023).

• Parker v. McMaster, stopping $1.5 million in funding from South Carolina to a bible society (2023).

• Tosone v. Way, providing for a secular oath for New Jersey candidates (2023). 

• The Satanic Temple v. Shelby County Board of Education, an ongoing lawsuit challenging discrimination against non-Christian after school clubs.

Patrick is co-counsel in the current federal court challenge against the creation of a Catholic charter school in Oklahoma. Patrick has written or co-authored at least 18 amicus briefs, most recently in the current FDA v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine case before the U.S. Supreme Court. His experience also includes presenting multiple legal education courses for the Wisconsin State Bar. He’s been interviewed by the Associated Press, Washington Post, Sports Illustrated, Fox News and ABC News.

FFRF’s new deputy legal director, Liz Cavell, graduated from Tulane University Law School in 2009 and joined the FFRF staff in 2013, working as intake attorney before being put in charge of legal education and in-house legal matters.

Liz’s amicus briefs include three filed before the U.S. Supreme Court, including FFRF’s brief in the Dobbs abortion case. Her op-eds on behalf of FFRF have appeared in a variety of daily newspapers, and her appearances have included “CBS This Morning.”

She is co-creator and co-host of “We Dissent,” a monthly podcast by secular women attorneys discussing religious liberty issues.

Liz has drafted several reports published by FFRF, including reports on the Trump judiciary, public school students’ rights, and prayer walks in public schools.

Liz has given continuing legal education presentations to fellow legal professionals (attorneys and judges), including the Dane County (Wis.) Bar Association, the Dane County Legal Association for Women, the State Bar of Wisconsin. She’s also given dozens of presentations on First Amendment topics to secular groups, FFRF chapters, student groups and others.