John J. Coughlin

John J. Coughlin, O.F.M. is a Franciscan friar, priest, attorney, and canon lawyer. He presently serves as Professor of Religious Studies and Law at New York University, Abu Dhabi. Professor Coughlin's teaching and research interests include comparative religion, ethics, philosophy, theology, canon law, sharia law, comparative law, jurisprudence, legal ethics, professional responsibility, administrative law, family law, ecumenism, and peace studies.
Early life
John Coughlin was born in 1954 at the French Hospital in Manhattan, New York. He attended St. Sebastian School and Monsignor McClancy High School in Queens, New York.
Education
Coughlin holds a Juris Canonici Doctor (J.C.D) and a Juris Canonici Licentiatus (J.C.L.) in canon law from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, a Juris Doctor (J.D.) from Harvard University, a Master of Theology (Th.M.) from Princeton Theological Seminary, a Master of Arts in Psychology (M.A.) from Columbia University, and a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) from Niagara University.
Professional
Ordained a Roman Catholic priest in 1983, Fr. Coughlin is a Franciscan friar of the Order of Friars Minor of the Holy Name Province. Following ordination, he ministered as a parish priest at St.Stephen of Hungary Church and St. Francis of Assisi Church in New York City.
After admission to the New York state bar in 1988, Coughlin clerked for the Honorable Frank X. Altimari on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. He served as general counsel of St. Bonaventure University in Olean, New York, from 1990 to 1993. From 1993 to 1996, he was legal and canonical counsel to the Holy Name Province of Franciscan friars in New York City.
Upon appointment by John Cardinal O'Connor of New York, Coughlin served as Professor of Canon Law and Theology as well as a Spiritual Director at St.Joseph’s Seminary in New York from 1994 to 2001. At the Seminary, he taught courses entitled "The Sacrament of Penance, Theological, Canonical and Pastoral Aspects," "The Church: The People of God," "Introduction to Canon Law," and "The Franciscan Theology of Creation and Peace." He also served the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York as a judge in the Appeals Tribunal, as vicar of canonical and legal aspects of health care, and as a member of the boards of several Catholic hospitals and educational institutions.
From 1996 to 2003, Coughlin taught at St.John’s University School of Law where he served as Professor of Law. He taught courses in Administrative Law, Canon Law, Family Law and Professional Responsibility. During his tenure at St.John's, he was honored by the law students as the Distinguished Professor of the Year.
During the summer of 1998, Coughlin was a member of the delegation of the Holy See to the United Nations treaty conference that established the International Criminal Court.
From 2003 to 2012, Coughlin served as Professor of Law and Concurrent Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame. He taught courses in Legal Ethics, Professional Responsibility, Canon Law, and the Canon Law of Marriage. A well-respected member of the Notre Dame Law School faculty, Coughlin was selected as Distinguished Professor of the Year in 2009 and 2011. In 2009, he was also honored with the McLean Award which is bestowed upon a faculty member for extraordinary service to the law school community. In 2010, the Notre Dame Black Law Student Association recognized him with the Crutchfield Professional Excellence Award.
During the Spring 2009, Coughlin was a Visiting Professor of Canon Law at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.
At NYU-Abu Dhabi, Coughlin is Professor of Religious Studies and Law, teaching the courses "Ideas of the Sacred" and "What is Law?" He is affiliated with the program in Arab Crossroad Studies. He also serves as faculty moderator of the debating society.
Publications
Professor Coughlin's writing offers a comparative focus on the understandings of the human person that underpin diverse systems of law. In 2011, he published CANON LAW: A COMPARATIVE STUDY WITH ANGLO-AMERICAN LEGAL THEORY, Oxford University Press. In 2012, he published LAW, PERSON, AND COMMUNITY: PHILOSOPHICAL, THEOLOGICAL, AND COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVES ON CANON LAW, also with Oxford University Press. In addition, he has published dozens of articles in journals, books, and periodicals.
Books
LAW, PERSON, AND COMMUNITY: PHILOSOPHICAL, THEOLOGICAL, AND COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVES ON CANON LAW.
CANON LAW: A COMPARATIVE STUDY WITH ANGLO-AMERICAN LEGAL THEORY.
ADMINISTRATIVE JUSTICE AT THE APOSTOLIC SIGNATURA AND THE UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT: A COMPARATIVE STUDY (Pontifical Gregorian University, Doctoral Dissertation, 1994).
Articles in Peer Reviewed Journals
Separation, Cooperation, and Human Dignity in Church-State Relations, 73 THE JURIST
___ (2013).
The Human Being, Catholic Social Teaching and the Law, 1 J. OF CATHOLIC SOCIAL THOUGHT 313-333 (2004).
Canon Law and the Human Person, 19 J. OF LAW AND RELIGION 1-58 (2003-2004).
Catholic Lawyers and Divorce Cases, 61 THE JURIST 290-310 (2001) (published 2003).
Communio and Administrative Justice, 78 APOLLINARIS 715-43 (2002).
The Historical Development and Current Procedural Norms for Administrative Recourse to the Apostolic Signatura, Part I, 90 PERIODICA 455-496 (2001).
The Historical Development and Current Procedural Norms for Administrative Recourse to the Apostolic Signatura, Part II, 90 PERIODICA 661-690 (2001).
Canonical Equity, 30 STUDIA CANONICA 403-435 (1996).
Law Review Articles
Marriage and ‘Mulieris Dignitatem' , 7 AVE MARIA L. REV. 349-363 (2010).
Foreword, Law as Vocation, 20 NOTRE DAME J. OF L., ETHICS & PUB. POL. 1-10 (2006).
Tradition and Development in the Catholic Church’s Teaching on Marriage: A Response to Cardinal Trujillo, 4 AVE MARIA L. REV. 567-580 (2006).
Sacrifice, the Common Good, and the Catholic Lawyer, 3 UNIV. OF ST. THOMAS L.J., 6-20 (2005).
John Paul II and the Dignity of the Human Being, 27 HARV. J. L. & PUB. POLICY 65-79 (2003).
The Clergy Sexual Abuse Crisis and the Spirit of Canon Law, 44 BOSTON COLLEGE L. REV. 977-997 (2003).
God Bless America, Introduction to September 11th Issue, 76 ST. JOHN’S L. REV. 1-4 (2002).
The Practical Impact of the Common Good in Catholic Social Thought , 75 ST. JOHN’S L. REV. 293-95 (2001).
Natural Law, Marriage, and the Thought of Karol Wojtyla, 28 FORDHAM URBAN L. J. 1771-1786 (2001), reprinted in SELF EVIDENT TRUTHS: CATHOLIC PERSPECTIVES ON AMERICAN LAW, (Catholic University Press 2007, Michael A. Scaperlanda and Teresa Stanton Collett, eds.).
The Historical Development of Administrative Law and the Future of Regulatory Governance, 38 IDAHO L. REV. 89-133 (2001).
Law and Theology: Reflections on What it Means to be Human from a Franciscan Perspective, 74 ST. JOHN’S L. REV. 609-628 (2000).
A Comparison of the Administrative Law of the Catholic Church and the United States, 34 LOY. L.A. L. REV. 81-196 (2000).
Catholic Health Care and the Diocesan Bishop, 40 CATH. LAW. 85-95 (2000).
Common Sense in Formation of the Common Good - Justice White's Dissents in the Parochial School Aid Cases: Patron of Lost Causes or Precursor of Good News, 66 ST. JOHN’S L. REV. 261-327 (1992).
Articles in Books
The Foundation of Human Rights and Canon Law, in INTRACTABLE DISPUTES ABOUT THE NATURAL LAW: ALASDAIR MACINTYRE AND HIS CRITICS 251-272 (University of Notre Dame Press 2009, Lawrence S. Cunningham, ed.).
Family Law: Natural Law, Marriage, and the Thought of Karol Wojtyla, in RECOVERING SELF EVIDENT TRUTHS: CATHOLIC PERSPECTIVES ON AMERICAN LAW 275-291 (Catholic University Press 2007, Michael A. Scaperlanda and Teresa Stanton Collett, eds.); originally in 28 FORDHAM URBAN L. J. 1771-1786 (2001).
Lawyers and Cooperation with Evil: Divorce Cases, in THE CATHOLIC CITIZEN, DEBATING THE ISSUES OF JUSTICE, ANNUAL PROCEEDINGS OF THE FELLOWSHIP OF CATHOLIC SCHOLARS 151-64 (St. Augustine Press 2004, K. D. Whitehead, ed.).
Evangelical and Franciscan Poverty, in PROCEEDINGS OF THE 1996 NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF THE COUNCIL OF MAJOR SUPERIORS OF WOMEN RELIGIOUS 57-77 (St. Louis, MO., Oct. 11-13, 1996).
Dictionary and Encyclopedia Articles
Matrimonio Legítimo, 5 DICCINARIO GENERAL DE DERECHO CANÓNICO 316-319 (Universidad de Navarra 2013).
Responsa ad Dubia,, 6 DICCINARIO GENERAL DE DERECHO CANÓNICO 945-946 (Universidad de Navarra 2013).
Stylus Curiae, 7 DICCINARIO GENERAL DE DERECHO CANÓNICO 399-400 (Universidad de Navarra 2013).
Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke, 3 ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CATHOLIC SOCIAL THOUGHT, SOCIAL
SCIENCE, AND SOCIAL POLICY 38-39 (Scarecrow Press 2011).
Administrative Recourse, SSRN
Apostolic Signatura, SSRN
Canon Law, SSRN
Goods of Marriage, SSRN

Maguire, Charles Bonaventure, THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF AMERICAN CATHOLIC HISTORY 833 (Michael Glazer 1997).
Woywod, Stanislaus, THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF AMERICAN CATHOLIC HISTORY 1523 (Michael Glazer 1997).
Book Reviews
Review of MINISTERIUM JUSTITIAE: JURISPRUDENCE OF THE SUPREME TRIBUNAL OF THE
APOSTOLIC SIGNATURA, OFFICIAL LATIN WITH ENGLISH TRANSLATION, translated by William L. Daniel, 72 THE JURIST 314-315 (2012).
Review of L’ESORCISTA, GLI OSSESSI E L’ESORCISMO, NEL CANONE 1172 DE CODICE DI DIRITTO
CANONICO FONTI E LEGISLATIONE VIGENTE, Maurizio Bogetti, 72 THE JURIST 313-314 (2012).
Review of A SIP FROM THE WELL OF GRACE: MEDIEVAL TEXTS FROM THE APOSTOLIC PENITENTIARY, by Kirsi Salonen & Ludwig Schmugge, 102 ARCHIVIUM FRANCISCANUM HISTORICUM 569-570 (2010).

Review of BEFORE DALLAS: THE U.S. BISHOPS’ RESPONSE TO CLERGY SEXUAL ABUSE OF CHILDREN, by Nicolas P. Cafardi, FIRST THINGS, 50-52 (June/July 2008).
Review of THE BATTLE FOR RIGHTS IN THE UNITED STATES, by Kevin E. McKenna, AMERICA, January 21, 2008, 35-36.
Student Book Note, THE NEW SCIENCE AND ETHICS OF REPRODUCTION, by P. Singer & D. Wells, 21 HARV. C.R.-C.L. L. REV. 742-745 (1986).
Awards
Distinguished Professor of the Year, Notre Dame Law School, May 21, 2011.
Crutchfield Professional Excellence Award, Notre Dame Black Law Students Association, April 10, 2010.
Distinguished Professor of the Year, Notre Dame Law School, May 14, 2009.
McLean Service Award, Notre Dame Law School, May 14, 2009.
Cor Jesu Award of Monsignor McClancy High School, “The Highest Alumni Honor Bestowed for Character, Leadership, Achievement, and Service,”
Oct. 27, 2001.
Trustees’ Award from St. Vincent’s Catholic Medical Center, Oct. 2000.
Dean’s Teaching Award for Excellence in Teaching a Large Class Elective, 1999-2000 (Administrative Law), Sept. 2000.
President’s Award of the Catholic Lawyers’ Guild of the Brooklyn Diocese, May 4, 2000.
Citation of the Council of the City of New York as an Outstanding Teacher and Practitioner of the Law, May 1, 2000.
Professor of the Year 1998-1999, St. John's University Law School, Presented by the Student Body on Feb. 13, 1999.
Outstanding Service as a Law Clerk to United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (from Feb. 29, 1989 to Aug. 31, 1990) New York, NY, Awarded on Oct. 10, 1990.
Boards and Major Committee Work
Board of Directors, Fidelis Care, NY, Statewide Medicaid HMO, 1996-Present
Consultant to the Committee on Canonical Affairs and Church Governance, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, D.C., 2008-2012
Chair, Faculty Affairs Committee of the Academic Council, University of Notre Dame, 2011-2012
Member of the Search Committee for the General Counsel to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, June-July 2007
Board of Directors, St. Francis College, Brooklyn, NY, 1998-2003
Board of Directors, St. Vincent's Hospital, New York, NY, 1997-2000
Board of Directors, St. Francis Hospital, Poughkeepsie, NY, 1997-1998
Member of the Delegation of the Holy See for the United Nations Treaty Conference on the International Criminal Court, 1997-1998
Finance Committee, Catholic Healthcare Network, New York, NY, 1996-1998
Ad Hoc Committee for the Review of the Metropolitan Tribunal of the Archdiocese of New York, 1995
Ad Hoc Committee of the English Speaking Conference of Order of Friars Minor on Sexual Abuse, 1994
At-Large Member, New York State Catholic Bishops' Conference Public Policy Committee, 1993-1995
St. Bonaventure University Executive Committee, 1992-1993
Chair, St. Bonaventure University Committee for Self-Investigation and Infractions Report to the National Collegiate Athletic Association, 1992-1993

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