Richard S. Righter Distinguished Professor
James R. May, Esq. is Richard S. Righter Distinguished Professor of Law at Washburn University and founder of the Global Environmental Rights Institute at Widener University Delaware Law School, where he serves as Emeritus Distinguished Professor of Law. Professor May is recipient of the American Bar Association’s Award for Distinguished Achievement in Environmental Law and Policy for his work in environmental law, human rights, dignity law, and environmental justice.
May is also a human rights litigator who has worked on numerous climate cases, including as amicus author on behalf of law professors and scholars in the cases of Juliana v. U.S., American Electric Power v. Connecticut, Village of Kivalina v. U.S., Held v. Montana, Comer v. Murphy Oil, and Massachusetts v. the U.S. EPA.
He has published 20 books, including Environmental Human Rights and the Anthropocene, Encyclopedia of Human Rights and the Environment, Principles of Constitutional Environmental Law, Global Environmental Constitutionalism, and Modern Environmental Law: Concepts, Cases and Contexts. May is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and theAmerican College of Environmental Lawyers, and Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society.
In 1996 he brought among the first lawsuits to enforce Pennsylvania’s Green Amendment and has assisted efforts to recognize environmental rights in Maryland, Delaware and elsewhere in the U.S. and multiple countries globally. May spearheaded the effort that led to the American Bar Association adopting a resolution to advance environmental justice, and currently serves as the Special Legal Advisor to the ABA Task Force on Environmental Justice. He is a recipient of the Robinson Environmental Law Award at Haub School of Law at Pace University, the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Kansas School of Law, the four- Douglas E. Ray Scholarship Award and the H. Albert Young Awardee in Constitutional Law at Widener University Delaware Law. He has also received awards from the Sierra Club and the American Canoe Association for his legal advocacy as a federal litigator working pro bono to enforce the nation’s environmental and natural resources laws and has been recognized by LawDragon as one of the world’s leading environmental lawyers.
He received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering (Bowman Scholar) and J.D. from the University of Kansas, where he was an Appellate Advocacy Instructor and National Environmental Law Moot Court Champion. May previously served as a civil appointee national defense engineer under contract for the Departments of Defense and Energy.
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About James R. May
James R. May, Esq. is Richard S. Righter Distinguished Professor of Law at Washburn University and founder of the Global Environmental Rights Institute at Widener University Delaware Law School, where he serves as Emeritus Distinguished Professor of Law. Professor May is recipient of the American Bar Association’s Award for Distinguished Achievement in Environmental Law and Policy for his work in environmental law, human rights, dignity law, and environmental justice.
May is also a human rights litigator who has worked on numerous climate cases, including as amicus author on behalf of law professors and scholars in the cases of Juliana v. U.S., American Electric Power v. Connecticut, Village of Kivalina v. U.S., Held v. Montana, Comer v. Murphy Oil, and Massachusetts v. the U.S. EPA.
He has published 20 books, including Environmental Human Rights and the Anthropocene, Encyclopedia of Human Rights and the Environment, Principles of Constitutional Environmental Law, Global Environmental Constitutionalism, and Modern Environmental Law: Concepts, Cases and Contexts. May is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and theAmerican College of Environmental Lawyers, and Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society.
In 1996 he brought among the first lawsuits to enforce Pennsylvania’s Green Amendment and has assisted efforts to recognize environmental rights in Maryland, Delaware and elsewhere in the U.S. and multiple countries globally. May spearheaded the effort that led to the American Bar Association adopting a resolution to advance environmental justice, and currently serves as the Special Legal Advisor to the ABA Task Force on Environmental Justice. He is a recipient of the Robinson Environmental Law Award at Haub School of Law at Pace University, the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Kansas School of Law, the four- Douglas E. Ray Scholarship Award and the H. Albert Young Awardee in Constitutional Law at Widener University Delaware Law. He has also received awards from the Sierra Club and the American Canoe Association for his legal advocacy as a federal litigator working pro bono to enforce the nation’s environmental and natural resources laws and has been recognized by LawDragon as one of the world’s leading environmental lawyers.
He received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering (Bowman Scholar) and J.D. from the University of Kansas, where he was an Appellate Advocacy Instructor and National Environmental Law Moot Court Champion. May previously served as a civil appointee national defense engineer under contract for the Departments of Defense and Energy.
| Present | Chief Sustainability Officer, Widener University Delaware Law School | |
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| Present | Director of the Global Environmental and Natural Resources Law Institute, Widener University Delaware Law School | |
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| Present | Distinguished Professor of Law, Widener University Delaware Law School | |
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| Co-director of the Environmental Law Center, Widener University Delaware Law School | ||
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Disciplines
Research Interests
Contact Information
Widener University School of Law
4601 Concord Pike
Wilmington DE 19803
302-477-2060
Email: