Eric Kniffin
Fellow
Eric Kniffin is a fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, where he works on a range of initiatives to protect and strengthen religious liberty as part of EPPC’s Administrative State Accountability Project.
Eric Kniffin is a fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, where he works on a range of initiatives to protect and strengthen religious liberty as part of EPPC’s Administrative State Accountability Project.
Kniffin has been an attorney focusing on religious liberty for almost 20 years. As an attorney in Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice during the George W. Bush Administration, he helped enforce the Fair Housing Act, the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons (CRIPA), and the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA). As legal counsel at the Becket Fund, he contributed to landmark religious liberty decisions including Hosanna-Tabor v. EEOC and Burwell v. Hobby Lobby.
In private practice, Kniffin has protected hundreds of religious employers from the HHS contraception and abortifacient mandate and the HHS gender transition mandate. He has represented the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Knights of Columbus, and the Assemblies of God, among others, in amicus briefs before the Supreme Court. His work helping religious organizations understand, maximize, and defend their religious liberties has made him a nationally recognized expert in the field.
Kniffin is a sought-after commentator on religious liberty issues and has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, National Review, Huffington Post, National Catholic Register, Inside Higher Ed, and Washington Times, and has spoken regularly for The Federalist Society and The Heritage Foundation.
Kniffin holds a B.A. in philosophy from Wheaton College and received a M.A. in theology from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary before earning his J.D. at Notre Dame Law School. He lives in Colorado Springs with his wife, Bonnie, and their seven children.
EPPC Scholars File Amicus Brief Urging En Banc Ninth Circuit to Hear Case and Correct…
Eric Kniffin, Rachel N. Morrison
On May 7, 2026, EPPC filed an amicus brief in the case Lopez v. United States, urging the Ninth Circuit…
Amicus Brief
PDF / May 15, 2026
EPPC Scholars File Amicus Brief Urging Supreme Court to Reinstate Abortion Drug’s In-Person Dispensing Safety…
Edward Whelan, Eric Kniffin, Rachel N. Morrison
On May 6, EPPC Distinguished Senior Fellow Ed Whelan and EPPC Fellows Eric Kniffin and Rachel N. Morrison filed an…
Amicus Brief
PDF / May 14, 2026
EPPC Scholars Submit Comment Supporting Federal Reserve Board’s Prohibition on Use of Reputation Risk in…
Eric Kniffin, Rachel N. Morrison
On April 27, 2026, EPPC Administrative State Accountability Project Director Rachel N. Morrison, Fellow Eric Kniffin, and Legal Associate Samuel…
Public Comments
PDF / May 5, 2026
EPPC Scholars Support Proposed Medical Codes to Help Victims of Gender Ideology
Eric Kniffin, Mary Rice Hasson, Rachel N. Morrison
On April 17, 2026, EPPC Scholars Mary Rice Hasson, Rachel N. Morrison, and Eric Kniffin submitted a public comment to the Department of Health and Human…
Public Comments
PDF / April 23, 2026
EPPC Scholars File Amicus Brief Supporting Alaska’s Refusal to Castrate Sex Predator with Gender Dysphoria
Eric Kniffin, Mary Rice Hasson
On March 25, Ethics and Public Policy Center fellows Mary Rice Hasson and Eric Kniffin filed an amicus brief in Wagoner v….
Amicus Brief
PDF / April 13, 2026
EPPC Scholars Encourage HHS to Rescind Pro-Gender Ideology and Anti-Family 2024 Foster Care Rule
Eric Kniffin, Rachel N. Morrison
On April 6, 2026, EPPC Scholars Rachel N. Morrison and Eric Kniffin submitted a public comment in support of HHS’s proposal to rescind a Biden-era foster care final rule that created…
Public Comments
PDF / April 9, 2026
EPPC Scholars Encourage CMS to Stop Funding Sex-Rejecting Procedures for Minors
Eric Kniffin, Mary Rice Hasson, Rachel N. Morrison
On February 17, 2026, EPPC Scholars Eric Kniffin, Rachel N. Morrison, and Mary Hasson submitted a public comment in response to two proposed rules from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services aimed at…
Public Comments
PDF / February 18, 2026
EPPC Scholars Submit Comment Supporting Elimination of Disparate-Impact Liability in Housing Regulations
Eric Kniffin, Rachel N. Morrison
On February 13, 2026, EPPC Scholars Rachel N. Morrison and Eric Kniffin submitted a public comment supporting the Department of…
Public Comments
PDF / February 18, 2026
EPPC Scholars Suggest Ways Labor Department Can Improve Faith Organization Participation
Eric Kniffin, Rachel N. Morrison
On February 9, 2026, EPPC Scholars Rachel N. Morrison and Eric Kniffin submitted a public comment in response to the Department of…
Public Comments
PDF / February 10, 2026
EPPC Scholars Urge HHS to Reverse Biden-Era Claim that “Gender Dysphoria” is a Protected Disability
Eric Kniffin, Mary Rice Hasson, Rachel N. Morrison
On January 20, 2026, EPPC Scholars Eric Kniffin, Rachel N. Morrison, and Mary Hasson submitted a public comment in response to a Proposed Rule from the…
Public Comments
PDF / January 23, 2026
EPPC Scholar Files Amicus Brief in the Third Circuit Arguing to Uphold Religious Exemption to…
Eric Kniffin
On December 19, 2025, EPPC filed an amicus brief in the Third Circuit case Little Sisters of the Poor v. Pennsylvania arguing that the district court erred when…
Amicus Brief
PDF / January 5, 2026
EPPC Scholar Files Amicus Brief in the Tenth Circuit Arguing that “Gender Identity”-Based Overnight Assignments Violate Parents’ Constitutional Rights
Eric Kniffin
On November 26, 2025, EPPC scholar Eric Kniffin filed an amicus brief in the Tenth Circuit case Wailes v. Jefferson County (CO) Public Schools, which argues that a…
Amicus Brief
PDF / December 2, 2025