The Callaway County Republican Central Committee's annual Lincoln Day celebration will take place Monday with a keynote address from Joshua Hawley, a constitutional lawyer and professor of constitutional law at the University of Missouri Law School.
The event will start at 6 p.m. March 9 at KC Country in Kingdom City. Missouri Representatives Travis Fitzwater and Jeanie Riddle will be the emcees.
Hawley, who will serve as the main program, has experience litigating before the U.S. Supreme Court as well as several federal and state courts. His insight and commentary have been widely featured in media outlets including The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The Weekly Standard and National Review.
According to his Missouri Liberty Project biography, "In 2011, Hawley litigated perhaps the second-most important religious liberty case of the last 20 years, Hosanna-Tabor v. EEOC, which guarantees the right of churches and faith groups to select their ministers according to their religious convictions."
In addition to Hawley, some Republican candidates who plan to run for office in the coming year may also say a few words. Callaway County Republican Central Committee Chairman Dean Powell said some governor candidates who had initially planned on attending and saying a few words may no longer come to the event. He said they temporarily suspended their campaigns after Missouri Auditor Tom Schweich's death last week. Schweich launched a campaign for the Republican nomination for governor a month before his death and had said he would attend the Lincoln Day dinner as well.
"Some of them (governor candidates) have said they may not show up because they are trying not to campaign right now and let his family grieve," Powell said.
Powell stressed that all are welcome to attend the event and added that they especially want Callewegians to attend. Tickets, which include dinner, will be $15 in advance or $20 at the door. To order tickets in advance, call Powell at (573) 491-3370.