Jonathan Z. Cannon | |
---|---|
Nationality | American |
Occupation(s) | Environmental lawyer, academic and author |
Academic background | |
Education | Williams College (BA) University of Pennsylvania Law School (JD) |
Academic work | |
Institutions | University of Virginia School of Law |
Jonathan Z. Cannon is an American environmental lawyer,academic and author. He is a Blaine T Phillips Distinguished Professor of Environmental Law Emeritus at the University of Virginia School of Law. [1]
Cannon’s expertise lies in environmental and land use regulation,design and implementation of regional and national programs,Supreme Court environmental decisions,and global sustainability issues. He has authored two books entitled Reclaiming the Land:Rethinking Superfund Institutions,Methods and Practices (with Greg Macey),and Environment in the Balance:The Green Movement and the Supreme Court.
Cannon is a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration, [2] and the American College of Environmental Lawyers. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of Environmental Law Institute, [3] and of the Advisory Committee of the Institute for Policy Integrity at New York University School of Law. He served on the EPA Transition Team for the first Obama Administration.
Cannon graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. degree from Williams College in 1967. He earned his J.D. Degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1974.
Following his J.D. Degree,Cannon held appointment as a law clerk for Chief Judge David L. Bazelon on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. In 1975,he joined Beveridge &Diamond,P.C.,and was a partner there from 1980 until 1986. He served in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of General Counsel as Deputy General Counsel of Litigation and Regional Operations from 1986 until 1987,and in the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Monitoring,EPA,as Deputy Assistant Administrator from 1988 until 1989. He was a Partner again at Beveridge &Diamond,P.C. from 1990 to 1992. Returning to the U.S. EPA,he held appointments as Director of the Gulf of Mexico Program in 1992,as Assistant Administrator of Administration and Resources Management in 1993,and as General Counsel in 1995. As General Counsel,Cannon authored what has become known since as the "Cannon memo," opining that EPA has the authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions under the existing Clean Air Act. The Supreme Court endorsed that position in Massachusetts v. EPA,which Richard Lazarus has written is "the most important environmental law case ever decided by the Court.” [4] [5]
Apart from agency appointments,Cannon also held academic appointments in his career. He joined the University of Virginia School of Law in 1998 as John A. Ewald,Jr. Visiting Professor,and became Professor of Law in 1999. In 2008,the law school appointed him Blaine T. Phillips Distinguished Professor of Environmental Law. [6]
In his environmental law career,Cannon has focused his work on design and implementation of regional and national programs,and global sustainability issues. His work in the field has received wide recognition in various social media platforms. [7] The New York Times has quoted Cannon’s views regarding the authority of EPA to regulate emissions of greenhouse gases. [8] [9] While discussing a case brought by Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli case against the EPA,disputing the scientific basis for the agency’s assessment of climate change risks,The Washington Post highlighted Cannon’s view that "there seems to be a symbolic element to some of the litigation that he’s selected." [10]
Cannon authored a book in 2015,focusing on U.S. Supreme Court decisions over four decades. Jedediah S. Britton-Purdy praised the book while stating that "Cannon’s integration of legal and cultural analysis has great promise for the Anthropocene." [11] Anthony N. Penna noted the book’s theme that "the majority of the Supreme Court’s decisions regarding environmental legislation reflected a struggle between competing and conflicting [cultural] beliefs and values." [12] On the occasion of Cannon’s retirement,Tom Richichi shared his view that "If there ever has been an Environmental Renaissance Man,then surely it must be Jon Cannon” [13]
Cannon’s work included exploration of strategies for reducing carbon emissions,including the implications of continued use of carbon‐based fuels for national security,the environment and the economy (with Michael Bucey). [14] He served on the National Academy of Science’s Committee on America’s Energy Future,which issued a series of consensus reports on the risks posed by global climate change and strategies for managing them. [15]
Marianne Lamont Horinko served as Acting Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from July 14,2003 to November 5,2003 during the first term of President George W. Bush. Prior to this appointment Horinko was Assistant Administrator for the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER) at EPA,having been confirmed by the U.S. Senate on October 1,2001. She continued on as Assistant Administrator until June 1,2004.
Morrison v. Olson,487 U.S. 654 (1988),was a Supreme Court of the United States decision that determined the Independent Counsel Act was constitutional. Morrison also set important precedent determining the scope of Congress's ability to encumber the President's authority to remove Officers of the United States from office. In Seila Law LLC v. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (2020),the Supreme Court distinguished Morrison as a narrow exception applying only to inferior officers.
Massachusetts v. Environmental Protection Agency,549 U.S. 497 (2007),is a 5–4 U.S. Supreme Court case in which Massachusetts,along with eleven other states and several cities of the United States,represented by James Milkey,brought suit against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) represented by Gregory G. Garre to force the federal agency to regulate the emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases (GHGs) that pollute the environment and contribute to climate change.
Kenneth Thomas Cuccinelli II is an American lawyer and politician who served as the senior official performing the duties of the Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security from 2019 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party,he also served as the Principal Deputy and Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and was Attorney General of Virginia from 2010 to 2014.
The United States Department of Justice Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) is one of seven litigating components of the U.S. Department of Justice. ENRD's mandate is to enforce civil and criminal environmental laws and programs protecting the health and environment of the United States,and to defend suits challenging those laws and programs.
Jeffrey P. Minear was the counselor to Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. Minear began work at the Supreme Court on September 11,2006. Previously he had been senior litigation counsel and assistant to the Solicitor General,Department of Justice (DOJ).
Jonathan H. Adler is an American legal commentator and law professor at the Case Western Reserve University School of Law. He has been recognized as one of the most cited professors in the field of environmental law. His research is also credited with inspiring litigation that challenged the Obama Administration's implementation of the Affordable Care Act,resulting in the Supreme Court's decision in King v. Burwell.
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Bradley McAllerton Campbell is an American attorney and political figure. He has served at senior levels in the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and as commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP). He is currently the President of Conservation Law Foundation (CLF),an advocacy nonprofit that forges lasting solutions to the environmental challenges for the people of New England.
American Electric Power Company v. Connecticut,564 U.S. 410 (2011),was a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court,in an 8–0 decision,held that corporations cannot be sued for greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) under federal common law,primarily because the Clean Air Act (CAA) delegates the management of carbon dioxide and other GHG emissions to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Brought to court in July 2004 in the Southern District of New York,this was the first global warming case based on a public nuisance claim.
There are benefits to leaving environmental regulation both to the federal government to the states.For example,wildlife conservation is much more of a concern for Alaska than for New York. New York,however,has much bigger air and light pollution issues than Alaska.
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Robert "Bob" J. Giuffra Jr. is an American attorney. He is Co-Chair and a partner of Sullivan &Cromwell in New York,and is a member of their Management Committee.
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Inez Smith Reid is a former judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals and former Corporation Counsel of the District of Columbia.
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Ken Cuccinelli served as Attorney General of Virginia for one term during January 16,2010 –January 11,2014.
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