Currently a Senior Attorney at Pacific Legal Foundation, Damien joined PLF in 2005. His practice has focused on federal and state environmental and land-use issues. Damien was counsel of record in Sackett v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, a groundbreaking decision in which the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the right of landowners to challenge Clean Water Act compliance orders issued by the Environmental Protection Agency.
In addition to the Clean Water Act, Damien’s practice includes direct litigation and friend-of-the-court briefs in cases arising under the federal and California Endangered Species Acts, as well as other environmental laws. He has appeared on a variety of television and radio programs, and has been quoted in The Economist, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal, among other publications.
Damien obtained his law degree magna cum laude from the University of San Diego School of Law, and his undergraduate degree magna cum laude from Georgetown University. While at USD, Damien was a research assistant for Professor Bernard Siegan, a leading constitutional theorist and advocate for property rights and economic liberty. Immediately prior to joining PLF, Damien clerked for Judge (and former PLF attorney) Victor Wolski of the United States Court of Federal Claims. Damien credits the mentoring and examples of Professor Siegan and Judge Wolski for his decision to pursue a career in liberty-based public interest litigation.
Environmental Law & Property Rights
Stanford Student Chapter
Stanford Law School559 Nathan Abbott Way
Stanford , CA 94305
Courthouse Steps: Juliana v. United States
Environmental Law & Property Rights Teleforum
Teleforum
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services v. Sierra Club - Post-Argument SCOTUScast
featuring Nancie Marzulla and Damien Schiff
On November 2, 2020, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in U.S. Fish and Wildlife...
Courthouse Steps Oral Argument Teleforum: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service v. Sierra Club
Under the Clean Water Act, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must approve clean water intakes,...
Deep Dive Episode 60 – Juliana v. United States
Regulatory Transparency Project's Fourth Branch Podcast
On June 4, 2019, a Ninth Circuit panel heard oral argument in a high-profile interlocutory...
Litigation Update: Juliana v. United States
On June 4, 2019, a Ninth Circuit panel heard oral argument in a high-profile interlocutory...
The Clean Water Act and Groundwater Pollution: A Natural Fit or an Interpretive Stretch?
The scope of the Clean Water Act is a notoriously difficult question. Attention has largely...