Criminal Resentencing Post-Monschke, Mattis, and Other State Case Law In Roper v. Simmons (2005), the U.S. Supreme Court barred the death penalty for crimes committed under 18, grounding its reasoning in developmental science. Yet Jones v. Mississippi (2021) upheld discretionary life without parole, leaving states to decide how science should inform sentencing. In the wake of Jones, courts across the…
Join the Petrie-Flom Center and a panel of experts for an in-person lunchtime discussion of the legal, scientific, medical, and ethical issues related to aging political and judicial leaders. Is the advanced age of many leaders cause for concern? Should we have maximum age limits for lawmakers and judges? What can neuroscience research tell us about…
The Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology, and Bioethics at Harvard Law School is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. As part of our retrospective and the Salata Institute’s Climate Week, journey through our past and present climate justice work. Introduction Events The Petrie-Flom Center hosts lunchtime discussions, book talks, conferences, and webinars throughout the year,…
You are cordially invited Join us to celebrate two decades of the Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology, and Bioethics. September 11, 2025 5–8 p.m. Recording OPENING REMARKS I. Glenn Cohen, Faculty Director, Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology, and Bioethics, James A. Attwood and Leslie Williams Professor of Law, and Deputy Dean,…
The Petrie-Flom Center hosted an intensive training on issues in psychedelics-related law, medicine, research, and policy on July 14-15, 2025. With nine sessions, 25 instructors, and 60 participants, the conference emphasized lateral learning, in-depth conversation, and a complex picture of the psychedelic landscape today. Made possible by a generous gift from the Gracias Family Foundation, Psychedelics…
The Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology, and Bioethics at Harvard Law School is pleased to announce our 2025 annual conference: “Law, Health Care, and the Aging Brain and Body.” This year’s conference is organized by the Petrie-Flom Center in collaboration with Nina A. Kohn, the David M. Levy Professor of Law at Syracuse…
The range of adverse mental health effects resulting from climate change include triggering or exacerbating anxiety, depression, grief, and suicide. Natural phenomena from heatwaves and droughts to floods and fires that are fueled by climate change cause trauma, distress, and other mental health conditions. So can chronic, slow-onset effects of global warming, such as water and food insecurity, community breakdown, and conflict. Members of marginalized groups, especially Indigenous peoples, feel these effects in unique and especially acute…
Please join us to celebrate the launch of Health Law as Private Law: Pathology or Pathway, published by Cambridge University Press. Might private law be as powerful a tool as government regulation in solving problems in health care and public health? This new edited volume, which grew from a 2023 conference at the Petrie-Flom Center for…
Adolescents—human and animal alike—take risks, challenge authority, and navigate social hierarchies as part of their development. In Wildhood, Dr. Barbara Natterson-Horowitz explores how these behaviors are biologically ingrained and essential for survival. This event will examine how evolutionary biology supports the Supreme Court’s “Children Are Different” jurisprudence, reinforcing why adolescent decision-making should be understood through science rather than…
Artificial intelligence is poised for impact on every aspect of healthcare, healthcare systems, and clinical practice. As use cases emerge, careful analysis of ethical concerns and new legal and regulatory tools are needed. This conversation among experts will explore the ethical considerations for medical and consider current and possible legal and regulatory approaches. Panelists This…
