RFI Mourns Loss of Judge Ken Starr

September 15, 2022, Washington, D.C. – The Religious Freedom Institute (RFI) joins others around the world in mourning the loss of Judge Ken Starr, who has long been a friend of RFI and an extraordinary partner in the work of advancing religious freedom in America and abroad.

“Ken Starr was my mentor, counselor, and friend,” said RFI President Tom Farr. “His encouragement and support played a major role in the development and launch of RFI, including its predecessor organization at Georgetown University. Ken’s fierce defense of religious freedom will be part of his legacy, and one that is particularly critical at this moment when religious freedom is under attack in the land that he loved.”

Earlier this year, Starr gave the closing remarks at an event RFI’s National Center for Religious Freedom Education held on the vital role of education in advancing religious liberty. In 2021, RFI co-hosted an event featuring a conversation with Starr about his exceptional book, Religious Liberty in Crisis: Exercising Your Faith in an Age of Uncertainty. Alongside these and other public RFI appearances were numerous occasions in which RFI’s executive leadership and staff benefited from Starr’s advice in private.

“Since beginning to work with Ken during his earliest days at Baylor, I grew to have the deepest admiration for him as a jurist, tireless defender of religious freedom, man of deep faith, and winsome leader,” said David Trimble, RFI Vice President for Public Policy and Director of its National Center for Religious Freedom Education. “We walked the halls of Congress, deliberated over tough issues, and watched baseball. He became a mentor, colleague, and friend. For many of us who were touched by his life, we mourn his loss but also rejoice in his walk with God and the enduring legacy of faithfulness and charity that he imprinted upon each of our lives.”

RFI will be commenting further on the life and legacy of Ken Starr in the coming weeks.

The Religious Freedom Institute (RFI) works to secure religious freedom for everyone, everywhere. RFI is a non-profit, non-partisan organization based in Washington, D.C.