Law Student Shawn LaTourette

When Shawn LaTourette received his Juris Doctor degree during the commencement ceremony for the Rutgers School of Law—Camden, he became one of the newest environmental law advocates.

He already had established his credentials in this area. Earlier in May, the Highland Park resident was named the winner of the fourth annual "Endangered Environmental Laws" Student Writing Competition, sponsored by the Environmental Law Institute (ELI) and the American Bar Association, among others. LaTourette, 28, will receive a $2,000 cash award and an offer of publication in the Environmental Law Reporter, ELI's flagship journal and a prominent, often-cited law review covering environmental and natural resource issues.

"I chose to write about the Exxon Valdez case because of the potential impact that this decision (nearly 20 years in the making) could have on the future of punitive damage awards in the United States," explains LaTourette.

To continue exploring his interest in environmental law and litigation, the newly minted Rutgers—Camden law graduate has accepted an offer to join the multinational law firm of Latham & Watkins, whose Newark office concentrates in those practice areas.

LaTourette's winning entry, "Run Aground Again: The Exxon Valdez's Collision with the Supreme Court's Punitive Damages Jurisprudence," explores the evolving limitations on punitive damages in the Supreme Court as a matter of both substantive due process and federal common law, as illustrated in the Exxon Valdez case.

"This article provides a well-grounded analysis of punitive damages jurisprudence in the Supreme Court, with important implications for future environmental and natural resource cases," said ELI Senior Attorney Jay Austin. "Mr. LaTourette's submission, along with those of the other students who participated in our competition, demonstrates how the next generation of environmental lawyers is already considering the legal framework that shapes and influences environmental protection."

LaTourette earned his bachelor's degree in political science from Rutgers—New Brunswick, where he graduated with high honors and served as senior class president and commencement speaker for the University College graduating class of 2006. Notably, he completed his undergraduate coursework in the evening while pursuing a full-time paralegal career.

A Dean's Scholar at the Rutgers School of Law—Camden, LaTourette served as a judicial intern for Associate Justice Barry T. Albin of the Supreme Court of New Jersey, where he worked on civil and criminal appeals before the state's highest court. He also served as a judicial intern for the Honorable Dolores K. Sloviter of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and as a law clerk for the Environmental Practice Group of the New Jersey Attorney General's Office, where he assisted Deputies Attorney General in representing the state's environmental agencies.

As a member of the Rutgers Law Journal, he served as the Lead Notes Editor, and also participated in student government, pro bono activities, and held two executive board positions with the Environmental Law Society, all at the Rutgers—Camden law school.

He resides in Highland Park with his wife, Stephanie Sasso, who is a clinical psychology doctoral student at Rutgers—New Brunswick.

The annual competition, co-sponsored by ELI's Endangered Environmental Laws Program, the Constitutional Law Committee of the American Bar Association Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources, and the National Association of Environmental Law Societies, invites law students to analyze issues at the intersection of constitutional and environmental law. All entries received during the 2008-09 academic year were subject to a rigorous evaluation process overseen by judges from ELI, ABA, and NAELS. The article will not be available to the public until its expected fall 2009 publication in the Environmental Law Reporter News & Analysis.

ELI's Endangered Environmental Laws Program seeks to defend U.S. environmental law by advancing principles such as broad access to federal courts, uniform minimum federal environmental standards, and leeway for state innovation in environmental protection.