Coxford Lecture featuring Harvard's Cass Sunstein

Annual lecture makes its Toronto debut

The annual Coxford Lecture series brings outstanding scholars and jurists to Western Law and the wider community through an annual public lecture. This year's keynote will be presented by world-renowned legal scholar and former White House administrator Cass Sunstein, Professor at Harvard University.

Who has rights? Do animals have rights? Does artificial intelligence have rights? A plausible answer depends on another question: Who is capable of experiencing emotions, such as sadness, pleasure, regret, anxiety, joy and distress? Professor Sunstein will explore whether the capacity to experience emotions should be considered a necessary and sufficient condition for the recognition and conferral of rights. He will also examine competing perspectives that emphasize capacities such as self-awareness or reason, and consider what rights different entities might have—and when those rights may justifiably be limited. 

Generously funded by  Stephen R. Coxford, LLB’77, this prestigious series examines pressing public law issues and aims to promote discussion, understanding and advancement of the principles that support a strong legal system. 

About Cass Sunstein 

Cass Sunstein is a professor at Harvard University, and founder and director of the behavioral economics and public policy program at Harvard Law School. A distinguished scholar, he served as administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs from 2009 to 2012. He has advised governments and international organizations, including the United Nations, the World Bank and the European Commission. He is author of numerous books and has received international recognition for his contributions to law, policy and behavioural science, including the 2018 Holberg Prize. Most recently, he served as Senior Counselor to the Secretary of Homeland Security and received the department’s Distinguished Public Service Medal in 2024. 

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