For years I’ve been teaching a group of law students called the Blackstone Fellows about the classical natural law tradition.  I think this is one of the most important things I do every year, and it is certainly one of the most satisfying.  These young people are interns with the Alliance Defending Freedom, a coalition of public-interest law firms which fight for religious liberty, the integrity of the family, and the sanctity of life.

At the request of the Alliance, in 2006 I wrote a brief introduction to natural law, called Natural Law for Lawyers.  This book has been part of the Fellows’ curriculum every year since it was written, but I am pleased to announce that in order to make it easier for other readers to obtain, I’ve just made it available through Amazon.com, both as a Kindle electronic book and as an on-demand paperback.

Of all of my books on the subject, this one is the fastest read.  Despite the title, it’s not just for lawyers and would-be lawyers, but for anyone interested in natural law.  Here is the Table of Contents, and here is a sample.

Here are a few endorsements:

“J. Budziszewski has done it again.  This lean, lively, and compelling book may be one of the best introductions to classical Natural Law ever written.  It is certainly the best such introduction for lawyers. This swift and sure survey combines history and argument so that the reader not only knows how we got to where we are, but what the way out of the woods is.  A splendid achievement.” -- Ralph McInerny, professor emeritus, School of Law, University of Notre Dame

 “This readable book will tell a lawyer two things about the Natural Law:  That everyone ‘practices’ it whether he knows it or not, and that it makes no ultimate sense apart from its Lawgiver who wrote it in our minds and hearts because He loves us.” -- Charles E. Rice, professor emeritus, University of Notre Dame Law School

“J. Budziszewski distinctly understands and recognizes the importance of higher law and the vital role it played in the foundation for and establishment of the American legal system.  His book is a valuable tool in the struggle to recover original intent and founding principles in American jurisprudence and defend our First Liberty—religious freedom.” – Alan Sears, President, CEO, and General Counsel emeritus, Alliance Defense Fund

“J. Budziszewski is our finest modern exponent of Natural Law, the guide to moral right and wrong that we can’t do without, because it is written on our hearts.  I enthusiastically recommend this learned, charming, and lucid book for lawyers, for people who despise lawyers, and for everyone who knows someone who might someday become a lawyer.” -- Phillip E. Johnson, author of Darwin on Trial, professor emeritus, School of Law, University of California at Berkeley

My other books