Biography

Professor Ligia De Jesús Castaldi is Professor of Law at Ave Maria School of Law, where she teaches and writes in the areas of international law, family law, human rights, religious liberty, and right to life issues in law and public policy.

Professor Castaldi’s scholarship focuses particularly on prenatal rights in international human rights law and the protection of human dignity within regional and international legal systems. Her work examines the development of abortion jurisprudence, religious liberty protections, family law policy, and the interaction between international institutions and national sovereignty.

Before joining Ave Maria School of Law, Professor Castaldi worked with several international governmental human rights organizations, including UNICEF’s regional office for Latin America and the Caribbean and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. She also served as a legal advisor to the National Congress of Honduras on issues involving human life and family law.

Professor Castaldi earned LL.M. degrees from both Harvard Law School and the University of Groningen. She is admitted to practice law in the State of New York.

At Ave Maria School of Law, Professor Castaldi has been instrumental in organizing and preparing several major international conferences addressing natural law, international human rights, and religious liberty. These include St. John Paul II’s Natural Law Legacy and International Human Rights: Toward a Century of Persuasion, held in Warsaw, Poland in 2022, and Celebrating International Religious Freedom Day: Dialogue on Freedom of Religion at the Organization of American States headquarters in Washington, D.C. in 2024.

Professor Castaldi has published extensively in English and Spanish on international human rights law, religious liberty, prenatal rights, abortion jurisprudence, and the Inter-American human rights system. Her scholarship has appeared in books, law reviews, international journals, and public policy publications throughout the United States, Europe, and Latin America.

Education

• LL.M., Harvard Law School
• LL.M., University of Groningen

Professional Experience

Professor Ligia De Jesús Castaldi serves as Professor of Law at Ave Maria School of Law, where she teaches International Law, Family Law, and Right to Life Issues in Law and Public Policy.

Before joining Ave Maria School of Law, Professor Castaldi worked with several international governmental human rights organizations, including UNICEF’s regional office for Latin America and the Caribbean and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

She also served as a legal advisor to the National Congress of Honduras on matters involving human life and family law policy.

At Ave Maria School of Law, Professor Castaldi has helped organize and prepare several international conferences addressing natural law, international human rights, and religious freedom, including conferences in Poland and at the Organization of American States headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Honors & Professional Affiliations

• Member, New York State Bar
• Former Legal Advisor, National Congress of Honduras
• Former Human Rights Legal Professional, UNICEF Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean
• Former Human Rights Legal Professional, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights

Courses Taught

• Family Law
• International Law
• Right to Life Issues in Law and Public Policy

Media & Speaking Topics

Publications

Books

• Ligia De Jesús Castaldi, Abortion in Latin America and the Caribbean: The Legal Impact of the American Convention on Human Rights (Notre Dame University Press, 2020).

Selected Articles

• Ligia De Jesús Castaldi, “Litigio estratégico para el Derecho a Abortar en los Casos ‘Manuela Y Beatriz vs. El Salvador’ ante la Corte IDH,” Persona y Derecho (2024).
• Ligia Castaldi, “The Slippery Slope of Abortion Rights: The Manuela v. El Salvador Infanticide Decision by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights,” 21 Ave Maria Law Review 1 (2023).
• Ligia De Jesús Castaldi, “El fallo Artavia de la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos en su décimo aniversario,” Prudentia Iuris (2022).
• Ligia De Jesús Castaldi, Robert Fastiggi & Jane Adolphe, “Civil Divorce and the Catholic Lawyer: Answers to Common Moral Questions,” Catholic Social Science Review (2021).
• Ligia De Jesús Castaldi, “El caso ‘Manuela’ y ‘las 17+’ contra El Salvador,” Derecho Publico Iberoamericano (2020).

Editorials and Public Commentary

• Ligia Castaldi & Olivier Bault, “The Left Launches Lawfare Against Conservative Political Opponents in Poland,” The Remnant (2024).
• Ligia De Jesús Castaldi, “IVF Provider Immunity in Alabama,” Public Discourse (2024).

Blogs and Online Commentary

• Contributions to Oxford Human Rights Hub, ECLJ, and other international legal commentary platforms addressing religious liberty, abortion law, and international human rights developments.