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If we desire respect for the law, we must first make the law respectable

The different rewards of different paths

Author

Brad Johnson
March 30, 2022

PRESENTED BY EAGLET CAM

Becoming a lawyer takes a lot of work, and rising to the top of your profession even more, and there are added challenges if you’re a woman. There are, however, some important choices to be made.

British lawyer Farhana Yamin has chosen the path of justice. She “is an internationally recognized environmental lawyer and a respected adviser to developing countries and small island nations like the Marshall Islands, working on their behalf at the international level” and “was a key architect of the Paris climate agreement.” But with the rise of fossil fascism, Farhana has had to go farther, putting her body on the line with other climate activists, first as a leader of Extinction Rebellion. She now “wants to work directly with frontline communities of color in Britain and help to mobilize the cultural sector to become more engaged in climate issues.” Some good advice from Farhana:

“Everyone should have ‘activist’ on their C.V.”

There are those, however, without “activist” on their C.V. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) is pushing hard for one of her big donors, corporate lawyer Jennifer Rearden, to be appointed to the federal bench. Rearden’s nomination to the Federal District Court for the Southern District of New York, however, has come in doubt, as she is one of the Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher lawyers who worked for Chevron to persecute indigenous-rights lawyer Steven Donziger.1 Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) has spoken out against Rearden, but so far, no senators have. So, a different path, different rewards.

Fossil-fueled storms are again ripping through the Southeast, including a tornadic storm in Arkansas this morning. Fossil-fueled wildfires are burning over 33,000 acres in Texas.

CALIFORNIA DREAMING: Thanks to the fossil-fuel industry, California’s rattlesnakes are coming out early. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has imposed new water restrictions as California’s desertification worsens. And scientists confirm: the smoky skies over California are only going to get worse.

FEDERAL AGENCY REVIEW: The Department of Energy has chosen 22 communities for its inaugural Communities LEAP program; they “will receive support from DOE to create community-wide action plans that reduce local air pollution, increase energy resilience, lower utility costs and energy burdens, and provide long-term jobs and economic opportunity.”

The U.S. General Services Administration has issued new standards for the concrete and asphalt used in nationwide GSA construction, modernization, and paving projects, requiring a 20 percent lower carbon footprint for concrete, and more environmentally friendly asphalt.

At the Smithsonian National Zoological Park, a new eaglet has hatched! You can watch the eaglet cam live or check out highlights on Twitter.

Senators Ed Markey (D-Mass), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Tom Carper (D-Del.), and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) are coordinating on a 500-day energy independence plan.

Bitcoin miners in the Finger Lakes. Poland moves to allow the European Union to ban coal imports. Track Russia’s oil tankers. Private jets are booming because “so much wealth was created during Covid.”

AOC on the Joe “Save The Billionaires” Manchin problem:

“I think that there is a sense among more senior members of Congress, who have been around in different political times, that we can get back to this time of buddy-buddy and backslapping and we’ll cut a deal and go into a room with some bourbon and some smoke and you’ll come out and work something out. I think there’s a real nostalgia and belief that that time still exists or that we can get back to that.”

“I was never under the illusion that we can bring Manchin along.”

I still wonder why so many Democratic operatives here in D.C. are invested in keeping the illusion alive.

Hearings on the Hill:

Climate Action Today:

Thanks for subscribing and spreading the word. DMs are open—@climatebrad

1. When she was nominated by Trump in 2020 for the same position, she also touted defending Trump billionaire Richard LeFrak for discriminating against tenants with HIV, helping charter schools avoid prevailing wage rules, and defending Uber from wheelchair advocates.

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