Legal Commentary & Justia Verdict Columns

by Marci Hamilton | Aug 25, 2026

From The Philadelphia Inquirer:
In ‘Dear Lara,’ violinist Lara St. John confronts rampant sex abuse in classical music in Philadelphia and beyond

https://www.inquirer.com/entertainment/movies/lara-st-john-curtis-documentary-dear-lara-philadelphia-20261004.html?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=ios&utm_campaign=app_ios_article_share&utm_content=JXM4WDRHJZHLXAWSMX2CKYDJJU

Since The Inquirer published her story of abuse while a student at Curtis, in 2019, several women came forward with their stories. St. John's documentary "Dear Lara" serves as a searing examination.

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Marci Hamilton

Marci A. Hamilton is a leading constitutional law scholar, Professor of Practice in Political Science and the Fox Family Pavilion Non-resident Senior Fellow in the Program for Research on Religion at the University of Pennsylvania, and Founder of CHILD USA. A former law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, she served as lead counsel in the landmark Supreme Court case Boerne v. Flores, successfully challenging the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). Professor Hamilton is a prominent critic of extreme religious liberty exemptions and the author of God vs. the Gavel: The Perils of Extreme Religious Liberty (nominated for a Pulitzer Prize) and Justice Denied: What America Must Do to Protect Its Children.

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