Tea Time participants pose with their cups of tea following the event.

On October 18, 2023, the Environmental Law Program (ELP) hosted its semi-annual Tea Time event. The Tea Time event provides students with an opportunity to meet and talk story with ELP professors, as well as learn about the program and its course offerings. The “Tea Time” name is a reference to ELP professors’ discussion on “hot topics” in the environmental law sphere during the event. 

This year students gathered in Classroom 2 and helped themselves to bento lunches, and of course, hot tea. To begin the event, ELP research associate Sophia Morgan highlighted ELP classes offered in the spring, including courses such as Land Use Management & Control, Climate Emergency Law & Policy, and Environmental Compliance & Regulated Industries to name a few. 

Next, it was time to “spill the tea!” ELP professors introduced themselves, shared their environmental areas of interest, and led their own breakout group centered around their chosen hot topic in environmental law. Students had the opportunity to spend time in two different breakout groups. 

This year, Professor Kamaile Turčan, the most recent faculty addition to ELP, discussed her current research on the major questions doctrine and previewed some administrative law issues that may arise in the Supreme Court this year. Professor Richard Wallsgrove spoke about his research into restorative energy justice and the history of Hawaiʻi’s regulated electricity system. Finally, Professor David M. Forman explored the application of critical race theory to the underlying indigenous environmental justice issues found in the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court’s Mauna Kea II decision. 

Reflecting on the event, Emma Palmer ‘25 explained that “the ELP’s Tea Time event was a great chance for students to get to pick professors’ brains on a wide range of environmental topics. For me, I loved getting to chat with Professor Turčan about the major questions doctrine, and to nerd out about the possible wide-ranging implications if SCOTUS puts the Chevron Doctrine on the chopping block. The Tea Time event felt comfortable and informal and it was cool to be able to ask focused questions to professors while listening in on my classmates’ questions. And, free tea in real coffee cups was a huge perk!”

SM 11/28/2023