Head of Founding Freedoms Law Center stands up for religious freedoms and the rights of Virginians

Liberty University Helms School of Government and School of Law alumnus Josh Hetzler (’12, ’15) is making an impact across the Commonwealth as he champions the rights of Virginians and makes a stand for religious freedom.

Hetzler was recently named executive director and chief counsel for the Founding Freedoms Law Center in Richmond, Va., where he has worked on many cases that have made national and state headlines.

After earning his juris doctor in 2015, Hetzler began working as legislative counsel for The Family Foundation in Richmond, a nonprofit public policy organization that advocates for policies at the state and local level based on biblical principles. Hetzler said he joined the foundation during a time in the nation when new religious freedom issues were coming to the forefront of society, including gender ideology and parental rights. His position put him “in the heart of the storm.”

In 2020, Hetzler and The Family Foundation team saw a need for a law center that could respond to the rising threats to life, religious freedom, parental rights, and free speech. The Founding Freedoms Law Center was born on July 1, 2020, and Hetzler became legal counsel for FFLC in conjunction with his role as legislative counsel for The Family Foundation. While the foundation has historically approached issues from a public policy and grassroots standpoint, the law center represents plaintiffs in court.

Most recently, Hetzler settled with Loudoun County Public Schools in a case involving three male high schoolers who were wrongfully charged with sexual harassment for expressing discomfort after being filmed by a female student in their locker room. He represented the family of Sage Blair, a Virginia teen who struggled with gender confusion and was socially transitioned by her school without her parents’ knowledge. The struggles led her to run away from home, and it took her parents legal intervention from FFLC to secure Sage’s safe return, reuniting her with her family. The center drafted Sage’s Law, legislation designed to prevent schools from socially transitioning or counseling students on gender identity without parental knowledge and consent. Sage is now a Liberty student and she and her mother were recognized at President Donald Trump’s State of the Union Address in February.

Hetzler also filed the lawsuit to successfully overturn the conversion therapy ban in Virginia.

Currently, under Hetzler’s direction, the center is suing the Virginia High School League in a case that, if won, would allow homeschooled students to play public school sports, a right that is upheld in 30 other states. The center is also suing the Virginia State Board of Elections over a proposed abortion amendment that is scheduled to be on the ballot in November.

Hetzler first came to Liberty to earn a bachelor’s degree in government. He said the school’s Christ-centered foundation led him there.

“Coming from a public school, I had a deep yearning for an education that was rooted in biblical truths. Liberty was the only (undergraduate school) I applied to,” he said. “I wanted the Christian education. I wanted to be a Champion for Christ.”

When applying to law schools, the same values stood out to him on his visit to Liberty Law. He wanted a school that would respect the rule of law and teach it from a biblical perspective. Ultimately, his education there prepared him to defend the rights and policies he fights for today.

“I saw all the issues that were going on in the world, and I wanted to contribute and be part of the solution. Liberty really prepared me for that,” he said.

Hetzler said as his professors poured into him with their knowledge and spiritual encouragement, he became like “highly enriched uranium,” and when he graduated, he felt the need to be used in a productive way.

Hetzler said his time at Liberty helped foster his passion to fight for religious freedom and that the relationships he made with professors, mentors, and students have carried into his career.

“I take a biblical Christian worldview, and I apply it to law and public policy. My Liberty undergrad and law school years gave me the knowledge about government and law to confidently step into this arena and take on these challenges. It gave me a lot of inspiration,” he said.

Now, he said the center he leads is growing and expanding as it becomes the “go-to law center for Virginians on issues of religious freedom, free speech, parental rights, and life.”

“When there’s a fight to be had on Virginia policies, we’re the ones who are going to stand up and fight,” he said. “I get to stand for truth and speak truth to people in power and do so in a way that is unapologetic, unafraid, and unashamed. In fighting for these legal issues, I hope it is making me a Champion for Christ in this field.”

Currently, the Center is developing a network of Christian attorneys across Virginia to make an even bigger impact and will be holding its second annual Virginia Conference of Christian Attorneys in October.

Liberty Law Dean Timothy Todd praised Hetzler’s contributions to the legal field: “His work and efforts to advance and protect our cherished freedoms reflects both his commitment to the rule of law and his desire to serve others throughout the Commonwealth. We are proud of Josh, and we look forward to seeing how he continues to advance the Kingdom through his new role.”