Raffael Fasel
@raffaelfasel.bsky.social
Assistant Prof in Public Law, University of Cambridge. Fellow of Jesus College. Co-Director of the Cambridge Centre for Animal Rights Law. Co-Carer of twins, a blind dog, and a one-toothed cat.
Pinned
Raffael Fasel
@raffaelfasel.bsky.social
· Apr 27
Thrilled to have received the first copies of my new book (co-authored with the wonderful John Adenitire). Very grateful to the team at #OxfordUniversityPress and the editors of the Oxford Constitutional Theory series for their support.
Very much looking forward to hosting @marceldirsus.com tomorrow in the Dialogues on Democratic Resilience series @cambridgelaw.bsky.social. Marcel will be speaking on 'How Tyrants Fail'. You can join online for free by registering here: www.eventbrite.com/e/marcel-dir...
Marcel Dirsus: 'How Tyrants Fail'
Marcel Dirsus (author of How Tyrants Fall) will present in the Dialogues on Democratic Resilience series.
www.eventbrite.com
November 19, 2025 at 1:33 PM
Very much looking forward to hosting @marceldirsus.com tomorrow in the Dialogues on Democratic Resilience series @cambridgelaw.bsky.social. Marcel will be speaking on 'How Tyrants Fail'. You can join online for free by registering here: www.eventbrite.com/e/marcel-dir...
Interested in teaching your own animal rights law course? Join our Law Lecturers‘ Workshop in Oklahoma!
We are now accepting applications for our Oklahoma Law Lecturers’ Workshop, which will be held from 13–17 July 2026 at Oklahoma City University, US, hosted by Charis Ward. (1/5)
November 17, 2025 at 11:23 AM
Interested in teaching your own animal rights law course? Join our Law Lecturers‘ Workshop in Oklahoma!
Looking forward to discussing our book Animals and the Constitution: Towards Sentience-based Constitutionalism @nyu.edu on 3rd December at 5pm UK time / 12 noon ET.
sites.google.com/nyu.edu/mind...
sites.google.com/nyu.edu/mind...
Events
Fall 2025
sites.google.com
November 12, 2025 at 8:05 PM
Looking forward to discussing our book Animals and the Constitution: Towards Sentience-based Constitutionalism @nyu.edu on 3rd December at 5pm UK time / 12 noon ET.
sites.google.com/nyu.edu/mind...
sites.google.com/nyu.edu/mind...
Really looking forward to talking to Professor Susan Stokes (University of Chicago) for the inaugural online event of the Dialogues in Democratic Resilience, organised in collaboration with the Centre for Public Law @cambridgelaw.bsky.social.
www.eventbrite.com/e/1963109570...
www.eventbrite.com/e/1963109570...
Susan Stokes: 'What Explains Democratic Erosion and How Can It Be Stopped?'
Professor Susan Stokes (University of Chicago) to deliver inaugural presentation in the Dialogues on Democratic Resilience series.
www.eventbrite.com
November 5, 2025 at 5:01 PM
Really looking forward to talking to Professor Susan Stokes (University of Chicago) for the inaugural online event of the Dialogues in Democratic Resilience, organised in collaboration with the Centre for Public Law @cambridgelaw.bsky.social.
www.eventbrite.com/e/1963109570...
www.eventbrite.com/e/1963109570...
Exciting to see the first print copies of the Spanish translation of our animal rights law textbook. Many thanks to Carolina Leiva Ilabaca for a brilliant job translating the book!
November 1, 2025 at 9:49 AM
Exciting to see the first print copies of the Spanish translation of our animal rights law textbook. Many thanks to Carolina Leiva Ilabaca for a brilliant job translating the book!
Delighted to see that @lsolum.bsky.social has recommended my latest paper on limited constituent power in his Legal Theory Blog. May the peer reviewers enjoy it just as much!
Fasel on Limited Contituent Power
Raffael N Fasel (University of Cambridge - Faculty of Law) has posted A Theory of Limited Constituent Power on SSRN. Here is the abstract: A growing chorus of scholars argues that the concept of constituent power has overstayed its welcome and should be abandoned.…
Raffael N Fasel (University of Cambridge - Faculty of Law) has posted A Theory of Limited Constituent Power on SSRN. Here is the abstract: A growing chorus of scholars argues that the concept of constituent power has overstayed its welcome and should be abandoned.…
Fasel on Limited Contituent Power
Raffael N Fasel (University of Cambridge - Faculty of Law) has posted A Theory of Limited Constituent Power on SSRN. Here is the abstract: A growing chorus of scholars argues that the concept of constituent power has overstayed its welcome and should be abandoned. This article shows that such calls are premature. The grievances voiced by the sceptics are real: the concept of constituent power is susceptible to abuse in practice; its traditionally national focus is ill-suited to a globalised world; and it can serve to romanticise the origins of elite-created constitutions.
legaltheoryblog.com
October 25, 2025 at 8:49 PM
Delighted to see that @lsolum.bsky.social has recommended my latest paper on limited constituent power in his Legal Theory Blog. May the peer reviewers enjoy it just as much!
"[A] constitution is no guarantee against autocracy, as the US is discovering. But it makes the would-be despot’s job much harder, and equips us with the tools to push back."
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
We must act now: without a written constitution, Reform UK will have carte blanche to toxify our nation | Goerge Monbiot
It means breaking with hundreds of years of tradition, but it can’t wait. As hard-right figures spread division and laud autocrats, a fail-safe is vital, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot
www.theguardian.com
October 25, 2025 at 9:33 AM
"[A] constitution is no guarantee against autocracy, as the US is discovering. But it makes the would-be despot’s job much harder, and equips us with the tools to push back."
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Many thanks indeed to @casssunstein.bsky.social for a terrific lecture and for taking the time to chat with our students and colleagues over drinks and dinner!
October 16, 2025 at 6:28 PM
Many thanks indeed to @casssunstein.bsky.social for a terrific lecture and for taking the time to chat with our students and colleagues over drinks and dinner!
Can't wait to hear the fabulous @casssunstein.bsky.social deliver the 2025 Animal Rights Law Lecture at Cambridge tomorrow @animalrightslaw.bsky.social @cambridgelaw.bsky.social!
So looking forward to speaking on a Bill of Rights for Animals in Cambridge UK, the day after tomorrow. (Just rewrote the lecture; terrified that it wasn't good enough.) @raffaelfasel.bsky.social
animalrightslaw.org/annuallecture
animalrightslaw.org/annuallecture
Annual Lecture — Cambridge Centre for Animal Rights Law
animalrightslaw.org
October 14, 2025 at 10:15 PM
Can't wait to hear the fabulous @casssunstein.bsky.social deliver the 2025 Animal Rights Law Lecture at Cambridge tomorrow @animalrightslaw.bsky.social @cambridgelaw.bsky.social!
Why write your own bills if you can outsource it to the opposition?
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Starmer asks Conservative peer to write planning bill to block judicial reviews
Exclusive: One option could be to leave treaty that allows legal claims against projects such as Heathrow expansion
www.theguardian.com
September 27, 2025 at 10:23 AM
Why write your own bills if you can outsource it to the opposition?
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
If you are in or around Cambridge on 15th October make sure not to miss our Centre‘s 2025 Annual Animal Rights Law Lecture held @cambridgelaw.bsky.social and delivered by the marvellous Cass Sunstein @casssunstein.bsky.social of @hls.harvard.edu.
Tickets are available for our 2025 Annual Animal Rights Law Lecture! 🎟️
Join us for this free event on 15 October at Cambridge University's Faculty of Law. (1/3)
Join us for this free event on 15 October at Cambridge University's Faculty of Law. (1/3)
September 25, 2025 at 10:44 AM
If you are in or around Cambridge on 15th October make sure not to miss our Centre‘s 2025 Annual Animal Rights Law Lecture held @cambridgelaw.bsky.social and delivered by the marvellous Cass Sunstein @casssunstein.bsky.social of @hls.harvard.edu.
I am deeply saddened by the passing of Conor Gearty. I first met Conor as a Law Fellow @lselaw.bsky.social where he went out of his way to make everyone feel welcome. His generosity of spirit and intellectual openness (he was a supporter of animal rights) have been a true source of inspiration.
September 16, 2025 at 9:07 AM
I am deeply saddened by the passing of Conor Gearty. I first met Conor as a Law Fellow @lselaw.bsky.social where he went out of his way to make everyone feel welcome. His generosity of spirit and intellectual openness (he was a supporter of animal rights) have been a true source of inspiration.
Enjoying another great @animalrightslaw.bsky.social Law Lecturers‘ Workshop - where we teach how to teach animal rights law - this time in Cambridge itself @jesuscollegecam.bsky.social
September 11, 2025 at 2:31 PM
Enjoying another great @animalrightslaw.bsky.social Law Lecturers‘ Workshop - where we teach how to teach animal rights law - this time in Cambridge itself @jesuscollegecam.bsky.social
What an excellent last day of the European Animal Rights Law Conference organised by @animalrightslaw.bsky.social, topped off with a PhD student workshop.
September 6, 2025 at 10:42 PM
What an excellent last day of the European Animal Rights Law Conference organised by @animalrightslaw.bsky.social, topped off with a PhD student workshop.
A second day full of inspiring presentations on the world‘s first pieces of animal rights legislation at our Cambridge Conference @animalrightslaw.bsky.social
@magdalenecollege.bsky.social
@magdalenecollege.bsky.social
September 5, 2025 at 6:40 PM
A second day full of inspiring presentations on the world‘s first pieces of animal rights legislation at our Cambridge Conference @animalrightslaw.bsky.social
@magdalenecollege.bsky.social
@magdalenecollege.bsky.social
The fifth European Animal Rights Law Conference organised by the Cambridge Centre for Animal Rights Law @animalrightslaw.bsky.social is off to a great start!
September 4, 2025 at 9:07 PM
The fifth European Animal Rights Law Conference organised by the Cambridge Centre for Animal Rights Law @animalrightslaw.bsky.social is off to a great start!
All good things come in … twos! PsychologyToday @psychologytoday.com did another interview with me, this time on the need for constitutional reform for animals. Many thanks to Marc Bekoff! www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/anim...
Why Animal Sentience Must Be Used to Reform Constitutions
A new book uses the latest research on animal emotions to challenge and expand the human-centeredness of current constitutional theory and practices to include nonhuman animals.
www.psychologytoday.com
September 1, 2025 at 9:10 AM
All good things come in … twos! PsychologyToday @psychologytoday.com did another interview with me, this time on the need for constitutional reform for animals. Many thanks to Marc Bekoff! www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/anim...
Last chance to get your tickets!
🚨 Sales of our 2025 European Animal Rights Law Conference tickets close on 2nd September at 11.00pm! 🚨
This year's Conference is on the theme "Animal Rights in Legislation" and will feature political representatives, government officials, prominent academics, and lawyers. (1/2)
This year's Conference is on the theme "Animal Rights in Legislation" and will feature political representatives, government officials, prominent academics, and lawyers. (1/2)
August 29, 2025 at 9:14 AM
Last chance to get your tickets!
The problem with uncritical reporting such as this is that it focuses on AI sentience, which is far from real, while ignoring the ecological and human cost of AI, which is very real. And I say this as someone who favours granting rights to sentient non-humans.
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Can AIs suffer? Big tech and users grapple with one of most unsettling questions of our times
As first AI-led rights advocacy group is founded, industry is divided on whether models are, or can be, sentient
www.theguardian.com
August 26, 2025 at 10:33 AM
The problem with uncritical reporting such as this is that it focuses on AI sentience, which is far from real, while ignoring the ecological and human cost of AI, which is very real. And I say this as someone who favours granting rights to sentient non-humans.
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
I have just discovered that my book 'More Equal Than Others: Humans and the Rights of Other Animals' was reviewed in the Times Literary Supplement @thetls.bsky.social in March by Simone Gubler - a lovely surprise, all the more so because she seems to have liked it.
www.the-tls.com/science-tech...
www.the-tls.com/science-tech...
What legal rights has a chimpanzee?
Hercules was leased to the State University of New York at the age of one. He lived in a cage in a basement and contributed to studies of ambulation. It
www.the-tls.com
August 25, 2025 at 9:22 AM
I have just discovered that my book 'More Equal Than Others: Humans and the Rights of Other Animals' was reviewed in the Times Literary Supplement @thetls.bsky.social in March by Simone Gubler - a lovely surprise, all the more so because she seems to have liked it.
www.the-tls.com/science-tech...
www.the-tls.com/science-tech...
I am delighted that my book 'More Equal Than Others: Humans and the Rights of Other Animals' is featured in Psychology Today @psychologytoday.com and has been made an essential read in their Philosophy section. Many thanks to Marc Bekoff for interviewing me! www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/anim...
Granting Rights to Animals Doesn't Undermine Human Rights
In proposing the Species Membership Approach, Raffael Fasel argues against the misplaced fears that granting legal rights and personhood to nonhumans would weaken human rights.
www.psychologytoday.com
August 22, 2025 at 9:07 AM
I am delighted that my book 'More Equal Than Others: Humans and the Rights of Other Animals' is featured in Psychology Today @psychologytoday.com and has been made an essential read in their Philosophy section. Many thanks to Marc Bekoff for interviewing me! www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/anim...
This promises to be another memorable Conference dinner, this time in Magdalene College‘s beautiful candlelit dining hall.
Less than one week left to purchase formal dinner tickets for our 2025 European Animal Rights Law Conference!
Don't miss the opportunity to enjoy a formal, vegan dinner with our speakers, invited guests, and Centre team at Magdalene College, University of Cambridge.
Don't miss the opportunity to enjoy a formal, vegan dinner with our speakers, invited guests, and Centre team at Magdalene College, University of Cambridge.
August 14, 2025 at 2:18 PM
This promises to be another memorable Conference dinner, this time in Magdalene College‘s beautiful candlelit dining hall.
I am a great fan of German choral music.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/a...
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/a...
Choir that drowned out Germany’s AfD leader happy to ‘bend the ear’ of country
Group ‘surprised’ when their song was used to disrupt an interview with Alice Weidel – but now they face a backlash
www.theguardian.com
August 4, 2025 at 7:40 AM
I am a great fan of German choral music.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/a...
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/a...
It is excellent that @casssunstein.bsky.social is returning to this important topic. Can‘t wait to read the book!
Little announcement: I am starting a new book on animal rights and animal welfare, tentatively called ANIMALS MATTER. Formal announcement to come. A daunting thing is the sheer volume of terrific material on this, led of course by @petersinger.info and more recently by @christinewebb.bsky.social
July 27, 2025 at 4:38 PM
It is excellent that @casssunstein.bsky.social is returning to this important topic. Can‘t wait to read the book!
There are still tickets available!
Our 2025 European Animal Rights Law Conference will feature more thought-provoking presentations and discussions lead by global animal rights law experts 🌍
Find out more at www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/european-animal-rights-law-conference-2025-tickets-1373099289939?aff=oddtdtcreator (2/2)
Find out more at www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/european-animal-rights-law-conference-2025-tickets-1373099289939?aff=oddtdtcreator (2/2)
European Animal Rights Law Conference 2025
The fifth European Animal Rights Law Conference at Magdalene College, Cambridge (4-6 September) on "Animal Rights in Legislation"
www.eventbrite.co.uk
July 20, 2025 at 8:21 PM
There are still tickets available!