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Dean of the Liberty University School of Law
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On his role as dean of Liberty University School of Law, Tan emphasized the Christian mission of the school. Tan said “My heart and my thoughts are frequently on how I can increase, make more pervasive, deepen, broaden, and further the Christian mission of this place. ... That is something that I dwell on.”[1] Tan stated that ever since he came to Christ at a young age, he has always placed an importance on the Word of God. Tan stated: “The Scriptures have been a huge part of my life. I came to Christ at the age of 4, and one of my first Sunday School teachers was urging the importance of getting into the Bible, and it has been an integral part of my life from that point forward.”[2] Tan has stated about his faith: “Following Jesus and being His is who I am, at the core, more than anything else. All I’ve done is try to follow him step by step during the course of my life, whether it’s my ministry to my family, or in the U.S. State Department, or legal academia. I’m first an ambassador of Jesus Christ, as much of an honor as it was to be an ambassador of the United States of America as well.”[3]
Tan’s profile on the Council of American Ambassadors website states: “Married to Dr. Sarah Tan, they raise four children: Hope, Enoch, Isaiah, and Moses. Dean Tan enjoys tennis and had more opportunities than he deserved through playing the cello. Lastly but most importantly, he is an imperfect ambassador of Jesus, to Whom he belongs by His gracious mercy.”[4] He has explained why it is important to teach a Christian worldview to future lawyers. He stated: "If you have a view that justice, truth, what is moral, what is immoral – if that is grounded in the very character and nature of God and if that is revealed to us in his Word, in his special revelation as scholars such as Blackstone ... there is the law written on the heart that is also talked about. Blackstone would talk about how special revelation, kind of hones and corrects ... there is a law-giver- that there is someone who has made the moral universe, as well as the physical universe and humans are made in His image and he has inscribed His law into every heart."[5]
[1] Jacob Couch, Meet the Dean: Morse Tan, Liberty Journal (Sept. 20, 2022), https://www.liberty.edu/journal/article/meet-the-dean-morse-tan/ (emphasis added).
[2] Jacob Couch, Meet the Dean: Morse Tan, Liberty Journal (Sept. 20, 2022), https://www.liberty.edu/journal/article/meet-the-dean-morse-tan/ (emphasis added).
[3] Paul Caron, Morse Tan Named Dean Of Liberty University School of Law, TaxProf Blog (Nov. 28, 2021), https://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2021/11/morse-tan-named-dean-of-liberty-university-school-of-law.html (emphasis added).
[4] Morse Tan, Council of American Ambassadors, https://www.americanambassadors.org/members/morse-tan. (emphasis added).
[5] Have Americans Lost Their Sense of Justice? w/ Liberty Law Dean Morse Tan || Give Me Liberty Ep. 21, Standing for Freedom Center (Sept. 1, 2022), at 11:28-14:05, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SW-vjl_C0A (emphasis added).
Tan believes in notions of higher law and objective standards in international law.[6] However, he exclusively relies on Eastern and Western philosophers such as Plato in reaching his conclusions.[7]
[6] Morse Hyun-Myung Tan, The Jurisprudential Foundation of Law, Especially International Law: the Basis for True Progress & Reform, 2 Tenn. J.L. & Pol'y 9 (2005), at p. 2, https://deliverypdf.ssrn.com/delivery.php?ID=413074031111069089002086118077029106002054027061023062027094010090012025030101071124042100017007024022045010106081093017016103039010011061018095096109093092093015067050087064065125121101089010121018090074065080009091107007075127086089121122024083113116&EXT=pdf&INDEX=TRUE.
[7] See generally Morse Hyun-Myung Tan, The Jurisprudential Foundation of Law, Especially International Law: the Basis for True Progress & Reform, 2 Tenn. J.L. & Pol'y 9 (2005), at p. 2, https://deliverypdf.ssrn.com/delivery.php?ID=413074031111069089002086118077029106002054027061023062027094010090012025030101071124042100017007024022045010106081093017016103039010011061018095096109093092093015067050087064065125121101089010121018090074065080009091107007075127086089121122024083113116&EXT=pdf&INDEX=TRUE.
Tan boldly defends Christians and Christianity.[8] He has suggested: “Keep God at the center of your life. He is the hub, and all the other parts of life are the spokes. But if you try to make the spokes the hub or the hub the spokes, you’re not going to have a properly functioning wheel. You’re going to have one that falls apart from the inside of the wheel. Keeping the Lord at the center of everything is crucially important.”[9] Tan has explained why it is important to teach a Christian worldview to future lawyers.[10]
[8]Morse Tan | North Korea: Explaining the Enigma, Wheaton College (March 31, 2020), at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sq02NnTZ8PA 58:01-59:06. (emphasis added); Jacob Couch, Meet the Dean: Morse Tan (Sept. 20, 2022), https://www.liberty.edu/journal/article/meet-the-dean-morse-tan/; 2021 Religious Liberty Summit: International Threats to Religious Liberty (Panel 1), Notre Dame Law School, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrzk51LEe-0 at 6:53-7:46. (emphasis added); Former State Department Ambassador Morse Tan selected to head Liberty University School of Law, Liberty University (Nov. 16, 2021), https://www.liberty.edu/news/2021/11/16/former-state-department-ambassador-morse-tan-selected-to-head-liberty-university-school-of-law/ (emphasis added); Morse Tan, Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/morse.tan.
[9] Jacob Couch, Meet the Dean: Morse Tan (Sept. 20, 2022), https://www.liberty.edu/journal/article/meet-the-dean-morse-tan/ (bold and emphasis added).
[10] Have Americans Lost Their Sense of Justice? w/ Liberty Law Dean Morse Tan || Give Me Liberty Ep. 21, Standing for Freedom Center (Sept. 1, 2022), at 11:28-14:05, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SW-vjl_C0A.
Tan has recognized the absence of religious freedom in North Korea,[11] and lectured on abuses against the mostly Muslim Uighur minority group in China.[12] He has also connected the absence of religious liberty to mass atrocity crime on the global stage, saying, “If you look at the places where there is the least religious liberty in the world it often corresponds with the places where there are mass atrocities crimes that are taking place” [13] and has remarked that Christians are the most persecuted group in the world.[14] Lastly, Tan has been accused of transforming the Office of Global Criminal Justice into a “platform to defend religious minorities, with a particular focus on defense of Christians abroad.”[15]
[11] Morse Tan, Korean Golgotha, Touchstone Magazine (May/June 2019), https://www.touchstonemag.com/archives/article.php?id=32-03-049-f.
[12]Morse Tan, The Historic Atrocity Determinations Against the CCP: Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity in Xinjiang, Faith and the Law (Mar. 26, 2021), https://www.faithandlaw.org/the-uighur-genocide/.
[13] Morse Tan, 2021 Religious Liberty Summit: International Threats to Religious Liberty (Panel 1), Notre Dame Law School, YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrzk51LEe-0, at 8:04 (bold and emphasis added).
[14] Morse Tan, 2021 Religious Liberty Summit: International Threats to Religious Liberty (Panel 1), Notre Dame Law School, YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrzk51LEe-0, at 12:30.
[15] Mark Wingfield, Trump administration pushes evangelical agenda through last-minute actions, Baptist News Global (Jan. 12, 2021), https://baptistnews.com/article/trump-administration-pushes-evangelical-agenda-through-last-minute-actions/#.Y0hI6i2ZP-Y.
Tan showed his respect for life through his comments on the treatment of the Uighurs in China.[16] After the official Dobbs opinion was released, Tan was interviewed on a podcast in which he revealed his strong pro-life stance.[17] He explained, “When you're talking about something like 63 million lives of innocent unborn babies that have been snuffed out since 1973, this is...this makes the Holocaust look small by comparison. This makes Khmer Rouge in Cambodia look small by comparison. This makes the Rwandan genocide- by sheer numbers- look small by comparison. And if these are truly innocent human lives that are made in God's image who are in the womb that- these are our offspring, our babies in the society who are no less human- we all go through that stage of life. Then, when you consider how many have been destroyed since Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton (its companion case), it is about as momentous as it gets."[18] Tan believes that there is hope in the “pro-life generation.”[19]
[16] Morse Tan, The Historic Atrocity Determinations Against the CCP: Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity in Xinjiang, Faith and the Law (Mar. 26, 2021), https://www.faithandlaw.org/the-uighur-genocide/.
[17] Have Americans Lost Their Sense of Justice? w/ Liberty Law Dean Morse Tan || Give Me Liberty Ep. 21, Standing for Freedom Center (Sept. 1, 2022), at 1:45-3:10, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SW-vjl_C0A.
[18] Have Americans Lost Their Sense of Justice? w/ Liberty Law Dean Morse Tan || Give Me Liberty Ep. 21, Standing for Freedom Center (Sept. 1, 2022), at 2:13- 3:10, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SW-vjl_C0A (bold and emphasis added).
[19] Have Americans Lost Their Sense of Justice? w/ Liberty Law Dean Morse Tan || Give Me Liberty Ep. 21, Standing for Freedom Center (Sept. 1, 2022), at 26:51 - 27:44, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SW-vjl_C0A.
Liberty University’s Student Honor Code contains statements that affirm a biblical view of sexuality and marriage.[20]
[20] The Liberty Way Student Honor Code 2022-2023, Statement on Sexuality and Relationships, https://www.liberty.edu/students/wp-content/uploads/sites/89/2022/10/The-Liberty-Way.pdf.
Tan has stated that “most…gun violence is committed with illegally-held guns,” and that, “when you’re talking about those who die from guns, suicides constitute a very large percentage.”[21]
[21] Washington Watch with Tony Perkins, Family Research Council (June 23, 2022), https://www.frc.org/wwlivewithtonyperkins/mary-miller-chris-mitchell-morse-tan-mary-beth-waddell-ken-klukowski.
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Tan is currently Dean of Liberty University School of Law.[22] Tan is not listed on the Federalist Society website as a contributor but has been involved in various events.[23] Throughout his career, Tan has integrated his Christian beliefs into his legal work.[24] He endorsed Republican candidate for Illinois 9th State Central Committee Julie Cho.[25] Additionally, he was a member of the University of Texas faculty ministry.[26] He also delivered sermons weekly at four churches.[27] Tan served as National Committee Member, Attorney Advisor, and Faculty Advisor for Law Student Ministries of the Christian Legal Society.[28] He has also been involved with medical ethics and conscience rights.[29] Lastly, Tan has worked for the American Medical Association’s Institute of Ethics and for the United Nations Development Programme.[30]
[22]Morse H. Tan, Liberty University School Of Law, https://www.liberty.edu/law/faculty/morse-tan/.
[23] Morse H. Tan, Liberty University School Of Law, https://www.liberty.edu/law/faculty/morse-tan/.
[24] See Our Core Values, Advocates International, https://advocatesinternational.org/our-core-values/; About,The Center for Law and Culture, https://lawandculture.org/about/; Board of Trustees, The Center for Law and Culture, https://lawandculture.org/about/board-of-trustees/; Morse H. Tan, Liberty University School Of Law, https://www.liberty.edu/law/faculty/morse-tan/; Who We Are, Veritas Forum, https://www.veritas.org/who-we-are.
[25] See Cal Skinner, UPDATE 4: Information about the Main 9th Congressional District Hopefuls–Joan Lasonde and Julie Cho–NOW with Info from Sallie Davis, LASONDE VICTORIOUS, DISTRICT VOTE TOTALS (July 28, 2022), https://mchenrycountyblog.com/2022/07/28/resume-for-9th-congressional-district-hopeful-joan-lasonde/.
[26] Morse H. Tan, Liberty University School Of Law, https://www.liberty.edu/law/faculty/morse-tan/.
[27] Morse H. Tan, Liberty University School Of Law, https://www.liberty.edu/law/faculty/morse-tan/.
[28] Morse H. Tan, Liberty University School Of Law, https://www.liberty.edu/law/faculty/morse-tan/.
[29] Morse H. Tan, Liberty University School Of Law, https://www.liberty.edu/law/faculty/morse-tan/.
[30] Morse H. Tan, Liberty University School Of Law, https://www.liberty.edu/law/faculty/morse-tan/.
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Best meets the ten principles of a constitutional judge.
Rating: GreyNeutral. Record is not as fully developed. Cannot be rated as “green” or “red.”
Rating: RedFails to meet the ten principles of a constitutional judge.
AFA Action is a non-profit 501(c)(4) organization dedicated to advancing biblical, family values in society and government by educating and influencing public policy. AFA Action is also the Governmental Affairs Affiliate of American Family Association.