Climate change and executive action in the United States

Professor David E. Adelman, University of Texas at Austin

Climate change is among the most politically charged issues in the United States. Although initially slow to take action, the Obama administration has implemented numerous programmes under existing environmental laws. These efforts, along with similar actions on healthcare and immigration, have generated a firestorm of protests claiming that President Obama is abusing his executive authority.The Supreme Court has also figured prominently in these disputes, and recently issued a stay against the administration’s flagship climate change policy. This talk will examine the Supreme Court’s options for crafting an opinion that is legally sound and supportive of both its own, and the administration’s legitimacy within the US federal system. It will examine the competing constitutional principles in the distinctive context of climate change policy.

David E. Adelman holds the Harry Reasoner Regents Chair in Law at the University of Texas at Austin School of Law. He teaches and writes in the areas of environmental law, intellectual property law, and law and science. Professor Adelman received a BA from Reed College, a PhD in chemistry from Stanford University, and a JD from Stanford Law School.

RSVP: nzcpl-adelman.eventbrite.co.nz
CPD compatible.