CENTER FOR EARTH JURISPRUDENCE (CEJ)

Mission:  The mission of the Center for Earth Jurisprudence is to advance legal principles, laws and governance that reflect a transformative Earth-centered perspective and support the well-being of all members of the Earth community.

The Center for Earth Jurisprudence (CEJ) is housed at the Barry University School of Law in Orlando, Florida.  Its mission is to advance laws and governance that reflect humans’ interdependent relationship with the natural world.  It is premised on the concept that humanity has a foundational responsibility to care for and protect the long term health and well-being of the entire Earth community–that is, all beings and ecosystems that constitute the natural world.  CEJ seeks to develop a philosophy and practice of law that respects the natural world in its own right and recognizes humans as an integral member of the Earth community.

Earth jurisprudence is closely allied with environmental law but is, in fact, broader.  After forty years of  implementation of environmental rules, ecosystems across the planet are as near or still closer to critical tipping points as before.  Clearly–indeed, urgently–a more significant transformation of legal, economic and cultural paradigms is required to extend legal consideration to the value of the natural world and its multifaceted functions in sustaining life on Earth.

CEJ contributes to the  Rights of Nature movement by designing and sponsoring courses, publications, and events that foster professional and academic discourse on the implications of a new jurisprudence needed for the challenges of the first quarter of the 21st century and beyond.  It partners with others to promote laws and cultural transformation that support ecologically sustainable, socially just, and spiritually meaningful societies for future generations.

CEJ furthers the mission of Barry University and of its sponsor, the Dominican Sisters of Adrian, Michigan, by extending respect, protection, and legal consideration to all human and nonhuman members of the Earth community; this includes consideration of the rights of future generations.  This can only be accomplished by partnering with persons of good will who want to address the unprecedented ecological challenges of the 21st century.  Some will work to do this from multiple interdisciplinary paths while others will contribute to an adoption of legal responses that protect the existence, right to habitat, and ethical consideration of all beings.

Barry University stands in a rich Catholic and Dominican tradition that honors the sacredness of creation and justice for all peoples.  CEJ furthers this vision by promoting laws and legal responses that support an ecologically sustainable future for all.

Brochure (pdf)

Center for Earth Jurisprudence
Barry University – Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law
6441 East Colonial Dr.
Orlando, FL 32807
Phone: 321-206-5788
Fax: 321-206-5662
Jane Goddard, Associate Director
JGoddard@barry.edu

Patricia Siemen, OP, JD, Director
PSiemen@barry.edu

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