Richard Lazarus – Page 12 – Environmental and Energy Law Program

Bio

Professor Lazarus teaches environmental law, natural resources law, Supreme Court advocacy, and torts at Harvard Law School. He has represented the United States, state and local governments, and environmental groups in the United States Supreme Court in 40 cases and has presented oral arguments in 14 of those cases. He served as the Executive Director of the National Commission on the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill as well as on the Biden Transition Team for the U.S. Justice Department.

Faculty Profile

Latest

In the Media
Washington Post

Trump’s Supreme Court move deepens fears of an authoritarian power play

It is difficult for the public to see the court as politically neutral “when a primary reason being given in favor of an expedited Senate confirmation hearing is … so the new justice can be there in time to vote in a way that will ensure the reelection of the president who just nominated them,” Richard J. Lazarus, a Harvard University law professor, told The Washington Post’s Robert Barnes.

September 28, 2020

In the Media
E&E News

How the agency came to regulate greenhouse gases

“The Obama administration took the Bush administration’s loss with Massachusetts v. EPA and then they ran with it for eight years,” said Richard Lazarus, a Harvard Law School professor and author of “The Rule of Five,” which chronicles the Supreme Court case in close detail. “They never got legislation, so [the court case] became the ballgame for climate change in the United States.”

September 28, 2020

In the Media
Living on Earth

Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the Environment

In addition to championing women’s rights, the late US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg left a strong and sophisticated environmental legacy. Harvard Law School Professor Richard Lazarus speaks with Living on Earth’s Jenni Doering about some of “RBG’s” key environmental votes and written opinions.

September 28, 2020

In the Media
Bloomberg Law

INSIGHT: RBG’s Everlasting Impact on Environmental Jurisprudence

The late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg played a significant role in shaping environmental law, Harvard Law School Professor Richard Lazarus writes. Her greatest contributions were rooted not in her ideology, but in her skills as one of the most talented lawyers ever to serve on the court. What makes Ginsburg’s record in environmental cases striking is that although she voted frequently in ways applauded by environmentalists, if she was not persuaded by their legal arguments she would not hesitate to vote against them.

September 24, 2020

In the Media
Washington Post

Partisan fight over Supreme Court could affect issues and image

“The nomination battle is a huge threat to the court,” said Richard Lazarus, a Harvard law professor who closely studies the justices. “The chief justice and most of the associate justices believe strongly in the court’s image as a nonpartisan institution. But it is a battle they will lose if the other two branches insist on making the court into a partisan political institution.”

September 24, 2020

In the Media
Vineyard Gazette

Author Series Panelists Set Bar High in Supreme Court Talk

Mr. Lazarus, author of Rule of Five and professor of environmental law at Harvard, disagreed. Drawing on his time representing environmental groups and governments in 40 Supreme Court cases, Mr. Lazarus said that to him, the court is a legal institution, stationed above politics.

August 12, 2020

In the Media
E&E News

How Biden could use air law to vanquish Trump climate legacy

Richard Lazarus, a Harvard Law School professor and author of “The Rule of Five,” which chronicles Massachusetts vs. EPA, said the agency under Biden would be aggressive. But he agreed that a conservative Supreme Court would be a barrier.

July 27, 2020

In the Media
E&E News

Roberts’ court finds the middle in high-stakes enviro term

The Supreme Court has not yet announced any plans for resuming in-person arguments this fall. But Harvard Law School professor Richard Lazarus said he suspects the justices are itching for a return to normalcy.

July 15, 2020

In the Media
NPR

Chief Justice John Roberts Rebuked Trump This Term. What’s He Up To?

It was a “crass political maneuver,” says Harvard Law School professor Richard Lazarus, who has known Roberts since the two were roommates in law school.

July 14, 2020