Digital Commons Network^™

Leveraging Citizen Science To Advance Environmental Justice In Climate-Vulnerable Communities Post-Loper Bright, Lauren Valli

Seattle Journal of Technology, Environmental, & Innovation Law

The Supreme Court’s 2024 decision in Loper Bright Enterprises v.

Raimondo removed the judicial obligation to defer to the Environmental

Protection Agency’s statutory interpretations, overturning forty years of

Chevron v. NRDC jurisprudence. Now, generalist judges must

independently evaluate complex scientific data when determining

statutory meaning, creating the risk that well-resourced industry parties

will use their litigation advantages to secure pollution-permissive statutory

interpretations. Without deference to EPA’s technical understanding and

public welfare considerations, environmental litigation outcomes

increasingly depend on which party can most persuasively present

environmental data in court. This interpretation shift widens the

environmental enforcement gap and disproportionately harms historically …

Resilient Dispute Resolution Systems For International Energy Conflicts, Guillermo J. Garcia Sanchez

Seattle University Law Review

Energy-related conflicts are on the rise, spanning diverse issues such as the impacts of rare mineral mining on local communities, the impacts of sanctions on energy investments due to the Russia-Ukraine war, and the impacts of expanded subsidies on the electric vehicle and solar panel industries. Increasingly, companies, communities, and governments are clashing over the challenges of pursuing disparate and sometimes competing energy policies. This Article argues that dispute resolution mechanisms in the energy investment sector must be fundamentally rethought. Traditional semi-adjudicatory models, which focus on winners and losers, fail to accommodate the complex and multifaceted nature of contemporary energy …

When Earth’S Lungs Collapse: How Wetland Loss Threatens Air Quality After Sackett V. Epa, Julia A. Hicks

Seattle Journal of Technology, Environmental, & Innovation Law

No abstract provided.

Good Newsletter September 2, 2025, Seattle University School Of Law Dean

GOOD NEWSletter

No abstract provided.

Navahine V. HawaiʻI Dept. Of Transportation: The Keiki Will Lead Us, Catherine Smith

Seattle University Law Review

The author analyzes the landmark case Navahine v. Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation, which culminated in the world’s first constitutional climate settlement. Catherine Smith, serving as an expert for the youth plaintiffs, situates the case within Hawaiʻi’s legal tradition of prioritizing children’s rights and intergenerational equity. She explores the evolution of children’s constitutional protections, contrasting Hawaiʻi’s progressive jurisprudence with the dominant adult-centric legal framework on the mainland. She critiques four recurring analytical missteps in U.S. courts that marginalize children’s interests and highlights Hawaiʻi’s public trust doctrine and cultural values, such as the Aloha Spirit, as models for addressing climate-related harms. …

Constitutional Futurism As Pedagogy, Jeremiah Chin

Seattle University Law Review

Constitutional Law has transformed from a course on history to a discussion of current events. Cases like Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard College, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, and Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo reveal that the study of constitutional law is not a static, or even linear, discussion of constitutional text and history. Law is a shifting, changing enterprise that reflects social constructions of power, authority, and identity. How do we teach, learn, and understand constitutional law that is so laden with history, riddled with theories of consistency and adherence to precedent, but ultimately subject …

Towards A Critical Legal Tech Education: A Decolonial Approach, Diego H. Alcalá Laboy

Seattle University Law Review Online

The intersection of law, technology, and decolonial theory offers a critical framework for exposing and challenging power asymmetries embedded in both legal and technological systems. Drawing from his experience as a criminal defense attorney and legal academic, Diego H. Alcalá Laboy critiques how surveillance technologies, often framed as tools for justice, disproportionately harm marginalized communities. Grounded in Latin American decolonial theory, particularly the modernity/coloniality/decoloniality triad and the concept of pluriversality, he argues for reimagining legal scholarship and pedagogy to disrupt Eurocentric and universalist assumptions. Using a colonizer/colonized framework, he advocates for bottom-up knowledge creation that centers the voices of those …

Shining Light On Solar Equity: Navigating Legal Barriers To Solar Energy For Low-Income Communities In Washington, Magdalena Larrain

Seattle Journal of Technology, Environmental, & Innovation Law

While solar energy adoption has been growing rapidly across the United States, access to its benefits remains uneven. In Washington State, low-income households and marginalized communities often face significant barriers to participation in the clean energy transition. These include high upfront installation costs, limited financing options, and legal frameworks that fail to account for renters, multi-family dwellings, and communities without suitable rooftops. Additionally, outdated net metering policies and restrictive utility regulations further limit solar accessibility for those already burdened by energy insecurity. This article investigates the potential of community solar projects—shared solar installations that allow multiple households to subscribe and …

E-Waste In Washington: A Looming Threat To Washington's Climate Future And Legal Solutions, Ibrahim Badawi

Seattle Journal of Technology, Environmental, & Innovation Law

This paper explores the escalating issue of electronic waste (e-waste) in Washington State, examining its root causes—including manufacturer practices, consumer behavior, and the lack of strict regulations—and its profound impacts on the environment, human health, and climate change. While Washington State’s 2006 Electronic Product Recycling Law (EPRL) marked an important first step, the current measure is insufficient to address the growing crisis. This paper argues that the true solution to the e-waste crisis requires not only recycling regulations but also addressing the root causes to prevent e-waste before it is created by focusing on extending the lifespans of electronics. This …

The Relevance Of Catholic Social Thought For Law, Russell Powell

Seattle Journal for Social Justice

No abstract provided.

Cancer Alley: Solutions For Effective Regulation And Enforcement Of Air Pollution, Lisa Lee

Seattle Journal for Social Justice

No abstract provided.

The Navajo Nation And The Colorado River: Their Current Statuses And The Tribe's Path Forward, Colton Gregg

American Indian Law Journal

No abstract provided.

The Environmental Rule Of Law's Transformative Power, Mariano H. Novelli

Seattle Journal of Technology, Environmental, & Innovation Law

The Environmental Rule of Law is proposed as an ecocentric, transformative, and dynamic model. As a principle of governance, it implies values and standards that give rise to a new paradigm based on sustainable development, climate stability, and the circular economy, specifically focused on fundamental rights and obligations. Key factors of the Rule of Law revolution are the collective character of the environment, diffuse rights, the recognition of future generations and nature as legal subjects, and various principles with a strong protective purpose. The growing integration between human rights and the environment is another feature of the process, to be …

Embedding Racial Justice In The Work Of Environmental Non-Profits, Patience Crowder, Tom Romero

Seattle Journal for Social Justice

No abstract provided.

6ppd-Q, Tires, And Salmon, Oh My: Policies And Remedies For Tribes In The Acute Mortality Of Coho Salmon In The Puget Sound Region., Meralina Morales

American Indian Law Journal

The pervasive reliance on automobiles within society exacerbates environmental degradation in low-income and communities of color, notably in Native and tribal communities. The leaching of Tread Wear Particles (TWP), including the detrimental 6PPD-quinone (“6PPD-q”), into waterways, significantly impacts aquatic ecosystems. This issue is especially impactful for endangered species, like the coho salmon, that hold profound cultural significance for indigenous tribes in the Pacific Northwest, for example, the Nez Perce Tribe believes that the fate of the salmon and people are linked.[1]

The scientific foundations of 6PPD-q's impact on salmon through bioaccumulation and biomagnification highlights its environmental justice implications. This …

Participation In Paradise?: Indigenous Participation And Environmental Decisionmaking In HawaiʻI, Lindsay Peterson

American Indian Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Carbon Offsets And Washington's Climate Commitment Act: Can Carbon Offsets Be Aligned With Environmental Justice Principles?, Kathryn Rizzo

Seattle Journal of Technology, Environmental, & Innovation Law

No abstract provided.

The Link April 16, 2024, Access To Justice Institute

The Link Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Labor Rights In The Anthropocene: The Effects Of Climate Change On Undocumented Farm Workers, Sophia Anderson

Seattle Journal for Social Justice

No abstract provided.

Forever Chemicals Are Infiltrating America, And The Nation Is Letting Impoverished And Marginalized Communities Take The Brunt Of The Contamination, Elizabeth Troutman

Seattle Journal for Social Justice

No abstract provided.

Pacific Islands And The U.S. Military: The Legal Borderlands Of The Environmental Movement, Sonia Lei

Seattle University Law Review

Climate change remains an urgent, ongoing global issue that requires critical examination of institutional polluters. This includes the world’s largest institutional consumer of petroleum: the United States military. The Department of Defense (DoD) is a massive institution with little oversight, a carbon footprint spanning the globe, a budget greater than the next ten largest nations combined, and overly generous exemptions to environmental regulations and carbon reduction targets. This Comment examines how this lack of accountability and oversight plays out in the context of three Pacific islands that have hosted U.S. military bases for decades. By considering the environmental impact of …

Law School Welcomes 12 Distinguished Professors To Faculty, Seattle University School Of Law

News Center Articles

No abstract provided.

Three Students Earn Stevens Public Interest Fellowships, Seattle University School Of Law

News Center Articles

No abstract provided.

The Link May 2, 2023, Access To Justice Institute

The Link Newsletter

No abstract provided.

The Link April 18, 2023, Access To Justice Institute

The Link Newsletter

No abstract provided.

The Link April 4, 2023, Access To Justice Institute

The Link Newsletter

No abstract provided.

The Link March 21, 2023, Access To Justice Institute

The Link Newsletter

No abstract provided.

The Link March 7, 2023, Access To Justice Institute

The Link Newsletter

No abstract provided.

The Link February 21, 2023, Access To Justice Institute

The Link Newsletter

No abstract provided.

The Link February 7, 2023, Access To Justice Institute

The Link Newsletter

No abstract provided.