Well Done, Good and Faithful Servant

This essay is an appreciation, remembrace, and tribute, written for our friend and colleague, John Copeland Nagle

In Memoriam: Professor John Copeland Nagle

It is with a heavy heart that I announce that John Copeland Nagle, Notre Dame Law School’s John N. Matthews Professor of Law, died on May 18, 2019, after a short illness. He is survived by his wife, Lisa, and daughters Laura and Julia

John Copeland Nagle: A Man for All Seasons

Many fine law schools have faculty members who are outstanding teachers, preeminent scholars, and generous colleagues. Few law schools are as blessed as we were at Notre Dame to have someone as singular as John Copeland Nagle—a person who was all those things professionally, but who was also a man without self-serving ego or guile; a man possessed of a moral compass that made him true north to so many of us; a person who consistently acted out of charity in an effort to do the right thing in all things. John was genuine, authentic, self-giving, and humble with every person with whom he was in relationship. John lived with one face in my mind, the face of Jesus Christ. He searched to see Christ in everyone whom he met, even the most difficult; he strove to be Christlike to all whom he encountered. John called each of us to be our best selves. Like Thomas More, the lawyer-saint depicted in stained glass in our chapel, John was the law\u27s good servant, but God\u27s first

On Foxes and Hedgehogs

This Article is about John Nagle’s many means to one great end. It will outline the many themes of his scholarship: (i) environmental law, (ii) statutory interpretation, (iii) constitutional law, (iv) nuisance and pollution, (v) election law and campaign finance, (vi) Christianity and the environment, and (vii) national parks. It will offer conclusions on how he used his scholarly interests as a means to pursue his overarching worldview

Enjoying Katmai

Katmai National Park has been part of the national park system since 1918, just two years after Congress created the National Park Service. Located about 300 miles southwest of Anchorage, Katmai’s attractions have evolved from the aftermath of an epic volcanic eruption to world-class fishing to the place to go to see brown bears catch salmon. These attractions have yet to attract the hordes of people who visit other national parks, and Katmai remains one of the least visited of the 59 national parks. The Park Service is responsible for managing Katmai consistent with the Organic Act’s dual goals of enjoyment and conservation. In practice, Katmai experiences much more conservation than enjoyment. The proposals to increase visitation to Katmai have failed because of a consensus that not all national parks are alike even though the law governing them is nearly the same. Katmai’s history of benign neglect by Congress and the courts demonstrates that the Park Service is capable of managing remote national parks in a manner that achieves the law’s goals while serving the public’s desires