The Rights of Nature: What Is It? Where Does It Come From? How Is It Taking Hold?

CDER's Frank Bibeau, tribal attorney and director of our Tribal Rights of Nature Program, will be presenting at the Illinois State Bar Association's “23rd Annual Environmental and Natural Resources Law Conference.”

Frank will be speaking on the first day of the conference, Thursday, May 22nd. He will focus on the rights of nature and his work advancing it within tribal legal frameworks. Below is a description of his panel:

12:15 – 1:00 p.m. The Rights of Nature: What Is It? Where Does It Come From? How Is It Taking Hold?

Right of nature laws recognize that ecosystems (and the species within them) be protected and allowed to flourish. As such, these legal theories are being written into local ordinances and tribal law, and taking shape in other nations’ constitutions. This presentation examines the origins of these concepts, the language of these laws, and two unique case studies impacting right of nature laws: Manoomin v. DNR in White Earth Tribal Court (Case No. GC21-0428) and DNR v. White Earth Band of Ojibwe and Chief Judge DeGroat in Minnesota District Court and the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals (2021-2022).

Thursday, May 22, 2025 – Friday, May 23, 2025

IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law, 565 W Adams Street, Chicago

To learn more and to register, click here.