Our Mission

The mission of the Center for Earth Jurisprudence is to advance law, policy, and governance systems aimed to legally protect the sustainability of life and health on Earth.

About Us

We are a team of lawyers working to advance legal principles that will protect nature. Our work advances laws and governance systems that reflect humans’ interdependent relationship with the natural world - remembering that we are dependent on a healthy Earth.  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 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.

Our work is based on three core concepts:

• Humans are an integral part of nature.

• We have a fundamental responsibility to protect the long-term health of nature.

• Our current legal systems fail to recognize nature's rights to exist and flourish.

What do we do?

• Promote law and policy that protects the integrity and resilience of nature.

• Design and sponsor courses, publications, and events that foster professional and academic discourse on the implications of an emerging jurisprudence needed for the challenges of the first quarter of the 21st century and beyond.

• Partner with others to promote laws and cultural transformation that support ecologically sustainable societies for future generations.

Inspired by the processes and laws of the natural world that sustain all life forms, a reverence for all creation, and the writings of Thomas Berry and other environmental advocates, the Center for Earth Jurisprudence (CEJ) was created in 2006 with initial funding from the Marie V. Gendron grant at the Schools of Law at Barry and St. Thomas Universities.