{"id":27,"date":"2023-08-07T14:19:55","date_gmt":"2023-08-07T14:19:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/faculty.law.harvard.edu\/richard-lazarus\/?page_id=27"},"modified":"2026-04-10T17:00:55","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T17:00:55","slug":"about-first-last","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/faculty.law.harvard.edu\/richard-lazarus\/","title":{"rendered":"About Richard Lazarus"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Richard Lazarus is the Charles Stebbins Fairchild Professor of Law at Harvard University, where he teaches Environmental Law, Natural Resources Law, Supreme Court Advocacy, and Torts.  He also recently served as the Executive Director of the President\u2019s Commission responsible for investigating the root causes of the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.  He graduated from Harvard Law School in 1979 and he has a B.S. in Chemistry and a B.A. in economics from the University of Illinois, where he focused on environmental issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Books and Reports<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Law Review Articles<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Lessons from the States for Promoting
Procedural Regularity in U.S. Supreme
Court Justice Recusals<\/a><\/em>, 111 Iowa L. Rev. 895 (2026)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Repealing Environmental Law’s Magna Carta Amidst the Devolution of Environmental Law<\/a><\/em>, 104 Tex. L. Rev. Online 36 (2025)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Rise of Constitutional Alarmists on the Supreme Court and Its Portent for the Future of Environmental Law<\/a><\/em>, 85(4) Ohio St. L. J. 983 (2025)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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In Memoriam: Professor Charles Fried<\/a><\/em>, 138 Harv. L. Rev. 1169 (2025)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Justice Gorsuch and the Future of Environmental Law<\/em><\/a>, 43 Stan. Envtl. L. J. 1 (2024)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sackett v. EPA: The Judicial Destruction of the Clean Water Act<\/a><\/em>, U. Chi. L. Rev. Online 1 (August 11, 2023)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The Scalia Court: Environmental Law\u2019s Wrecking Crew Within the Supreme Court<\/a>, <\/em>47 Harv. Envtl. L. Rev. 407 (2023)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Reflections on Farber\u2019s Inequality and Regulation<\/a><\/em>, 3 Am. J. L. & Equality 414 (2023)J<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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ustice Breyer\u2019s Friendly Legacy for Environmental Law<\/a><\/em>, 95 S. Cal. L. Rev. 1395 (2023)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Supreme Court Advocacy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Counsel of Record for Respondent St. Croix County, Joseph P. Murr, et al., v. State of Wisconsin and St. Croix County<\/a>, 137 S. Ct 1993 (2017)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Counsel of Record for Environmental Respondent Riverkeeper, Entergy Corp. v. Riverkeeper<\/a>, 556 U.S. 208 (2009)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Co-Counsel, Los Angeles County Flood Control Dist. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc.<\/a>, 568 U.S. 78 (2013)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Co-Counsel for Petitioners, Massachusetts v. U.S. Envt\u2019l Prot. Agency<\/a>, 549 U.S. 497 (2007) (jurisdictional stage only)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Co-Counsel for Respondents, Monsanto v. Geertson Seed Farms<\/a>, 561 U.S. 139 (2010)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Counsel of Record for Respondents American River and Friends of the Presumpscot River, S.D. Warren v. Maine Department of Environmental Protection<\/a>, 547 U.S. 370 (2006)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Recent Presentations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n