March 26, 2021
For Immediate Release
For more information: media@ruthinstitute.org
Ruth Inst. Board Member Paul Jonna Named CA Lawyer of the Year
Paul M. Jonna, an attorney with the firm of LiMandri & Jonna in Rancho Santa Fe, CA, and a member of the Ruth Institute’s Board of Directors, was selected
as a 2021 California Lawyer Attorney of Year in the Constitutional Law Category by the Los Angeles Daily Journal, an honor he shared with
his partner Charles LiMandri.
Jonna and LiMandri were recognized for their outstanding work defending a San Diego church against Gov. Gavin Newsom’s order banning indoor worship during
the COVID lockdown, treating houses of worship as “nonessential,” unlike retail establishments.
Eventually, the Supreme Court decided in a 6-3 ruling in February 2021, that the state had discriminated against religion by applying stricter standards
to houses of worship than retail stores, in violation of the First Amendment.
Regarding the award, Ruth Institute President Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse, Ph.D., commented: “We are so proud of Paul and his association with the Ruth Institute.
He’s been in the forefront of protecting constitutional rights against government overreach in high-profile cases involving religious freedom and the
Sexual Revolution.”
Jonna represented a California bakery when the Department of Fair Employment sought to force it to make custom wedding cakes for same-sex couples.
He also represented investigative journalist David Daleiden who exposed a Planned Parenthood clinic’s sale of fetal body parts. The abortion industry seeks
to punish Daleiden in ongoing litigation. Jonna is Special Counsel for the Thomas More Society in these cases.
On February 21, 2020, Paul Jonna was a guest on the Ruth Institute’s Dr. J Show discussing his
work on the same-sex wedding cake and Daleiden cases.
On joining the Ruth Institute’s Board of Directors in 2019, Jonna remarked: “The Ruth Institute’s focus on defending the family and helping victims of
the Sexual Revolution is more important than ever in today’s cultural climate.”
Jonna was selected by the San Diego Business Journal as one of the “Best of the Bar” for 2016 and 2017 and was named to the Super Lawyers’ 2019,
2020, and 2021 San Diego Rising Stars list.
Jonna previously worked at national law firms handling multi-billion-dollar cases for a broad range of large corporate clients. He earned a J.D. from the
University of San Diego School of Law, where he was Comments Editor of San Diego Law Review, and earned a B.S. in Business Administration
from the University of Southern California. He’s also a former three-term President and current member of the Board of the St. Thomas More Society
of San Diego. Jonna also serves as the President of the San Diego Chapter of Legatus.
The Ruth Institute is a global non-profit organization, leading an international interfaith coalition to defend
the family and build a civilization of love.
To schedule an interview with Dr. Morse, contact media@ruthinstitute.org.