Rule of Law and the Common Good
An Boston College-hosted conference—focused on a deeper understanding of the rule of law as a key contributor to human flourishing—will examine the commitment to institutions and norms that deliver accountability, just law, open government, and accessible and impartial justice by engaging legal theory and Catholic social thought.
Libby Millennium Professor of Law and Theology Cathleen Kaveny, (Chris Soldt)
“The Rule of Law and the Common Good,” which takes place March 12 and 13 in Gasson 100, is being co-organized by Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences Dean Gregory Kalscheur, S.J., and Darald and Juliet Libby Millennium Professor of Law and Theology Cathleen Kaveny, and will feature leading legal scholars and experts on the Catholic Church’s teaching on matters of social ethics.
“Protecting the rule of law and safeguarding human dignity are intertwined goals,” said Kaveny. “Legal scholars and experts in Catholic social thought need to work together to achieve them in these troubling times.”
Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences Dean Gregory Kalscheur, S.J.
“The Catholic social thought tradition is committed to promoting the common good by building communities in which the flourishing and fundamental dignity of all persons are protected,” Fr. Kalscheur explained. “The accountability of governmental actors and access to equal justice under the law are central components of the rule of law that would also seem to make essential contributions to human flourishing within the community. At a moment in history when the rule of law is under stress, the Catholic social thought tradition may well offer resources that can energize a renewed commitment to the principle.”
The keynote panel, starting at 4 p.m. on March 12, will address the definition of the rule of law, the Catholic Church’s position on the foundation of a fair, free, and democratic society, and the current challenges to the principle that everyone, including the government, is accountable to the same fair, public, and equally enforced laws.
Moderated by Robert L. and Judith T. Winston Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley, the discussion will include remarks by Jedediah Purdy, the Raphael Lemkin Distinguished Professor of Law at Duke University; Georgetown University Professor of Law and Philosophy David Luban; and Mary Ellen O’Connell, the Robert & Marion Short Professor of Law and professor of international peace studies at the University of Notre Dame Kroc Institute. The panelists will provide a broad overview of the rule of law, highlighting key elements in its development and articulation, setting the stage for the structured conversations scheduled for the following day.
The first working panel, focused on defining the rule of law and moderated by Kaveny, will kick off at 9 a.m. on March 13, with Brian Tamanaha, the John S. Lehmann University Professor and Professor of Law at Washington University, as the opening speaker. Respondents include Nicholas Hayes-Mota, an assistant professor of religious studies at Santa Clara University; Anna Rowlands, the St. Hilda Chair of Catholic Social Thought and Practice at Durham University; and Aristotle Papanikolaou, the Archbishop Demetrios Chair in Orthodox Theology and Culture and co-director of Orthodox Christian Studies at Fordham University.
Following lunch, Fr. Kalscheur will lead the second panel, “Catholic Social Thought on the Rule of Law—What is There to Say?,” with opening speaker Patrick Riordan, S.J., senior fellow in political philosophy and Catholic social thought at the University of Oxford Campion Hall. Respondents include John Coughlin, O.F.M., the Global Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies and Law at New York University Abu Dhabi (UAE), and College of the Holy Cross President Vincent Rougeau, former BC Law School dean.
Odette Lienau, the Marianne D. Short, Esq. Dean of the BC Law School will moderate the closing panel, “Contemporary Challenges to the Rule of Law—What Must We Do Now?” The main speaker will be J. Donald Monan, S.J., University Professor of Law and Government Aziz Rana, and respondents include Thomas Massaro, S.J., the Laurence J. McGinley Professor of Religion and Society at Fordham University; University of Würzburg Christian Social Ethics Chair Michelle Becka; and Frank Brennan, S.J., an adjunct research professor of law at the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture at the Australian Catholic University.
The conference is sponsored by the Office of the Provost, Boston College Law School, the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences, the Jesuit Institute at Boston College, and the Porticus Foundation.
To reserve attendance, visit the conference website.