Douglas Kysar
Joseph M. Field ’55 Professor of Law
(on leave, spring 2024)
Professor Douglas Kysar is Joseph M. Field ’55 Professor of Law at Yale Law School and faculty co-director of the Law, Ethics and Animals Program. His teaching and research areas include torts, animal law, environmental law, climate change, products liability, and risk regulation.
FULL BIOGRAPHY
Contact Information
- Room 317
- 203-436-8970
- douglas.kysar@yale.edu
Faculty Assistant
Jennifer Marshall
- 337
- 203-432-4956
- jennifer.marshall@yale.edu
Education & Curriculum Vitae
J.D., Harvard Law School, 1998
B.A., Indiana University, 1995
Courses Taught
- Climate Change and Animals
- Animal Law
- Constitutions and the Environment
- The Law of Climate Change
- Torts I
- Law, Environment and Religion: A Communion of Subjects
- Products Liability
Professor Douglas Kysar is Joseph M. Field ’55 Professor of Law at Yale Law School and faculty co-director of the Law, Ethics and Animals Program. His teaching and research areas include torts, animal law, environmental law, climate change, products liability, and risk regulation. Kysar was previously on the faculty at Cornell Law School. He received his B.A. summa cum laude from Indiana University in 1995 and his J.D. magna cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1998. Following law school, he clerked for the Honorable William G. Young of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts.
Thursday, August 17, 2023
Yale Experts Explain Climate Lawsuits
In a Q&A, Douglas Kysar, the Joseph M. Field ’55 Professor of Law at Yale Law School and faculty co-director of the Law, Ethics & Animals Program, explains the legal strategies behind recent climate change lawsuits, how the law could be used to protect those most vulnerable to climate disasters, and which cases may have the best chance of success.
Friday, May 12, 2023
The Supreme Court’s Ruling on Prop 12 Is a Win Against Factory Farming. But the Pigs’ Lives Will Still Suck — A Commentary by Doug Kysar and Justin Marceau
Vox
Douglas Kysar is Joseph M. Field ’55 Professor of Law at Yale Law School and faculty co-director of the Law, Ethics and Animals Program.
Thursday, December 15, 2022
It’s Time for Climate Change To Reach the International Court of Justice — A Commentary by Douglas Kysar
The Hill
Douglas Kysar is Joseph M. Field '55 Professor of Law at Yale Law School and faculty co-director of the Law, Ethics and Animals Program.
Tuesday, October 18, 2022
New Jersey Latest State to Sue Oil Companies Over Climate Misinformation
The Guardian
Joseph M. Field ’55 Professor of Law Douglas Kysar comments on states suing oil companies over their role in the climate crisis.
Friday, September 30, 2022
Life on the Ark: The Zanesville Animal Catastrophe a Decade Later
Life on the Ark
Joseph M. Field ’55 Professor of Law Douglas Kysar, Faculty Co-Director of the Law, Ethics and Animals Program will appear on episodes 5 and 8 of a podcast about the legacies of a 2011 incident in Zanesville, Ohio, during which 50 exotic animals were killed by county police upon being released by their owner.
Friday, May 27, 2022
EMBA Class of 2022 Selects Winners of Annual Teaching Awards
Joseph M. Field ’55 Professor of Law Doug Kysar is among the winners of the Yale School of Management’s MBA for Executives Teaching Awards, selected in a vote by the EMBA Class of 2022.
Monday, March 21, 2022
Oil Giants Wage ‘Endless’ Disputes Before Climate Case Trials
Bloomberg Law
Joseph M. Field ’55 Professor of Law Douglas Kysar comments on a climate misinformation lawsuit — one of several filed nationally — moving closer to trial in a state court.
Monday, December 27, 2021
Focus on ‘Greenwashing’ Claims in New Year of Climate Litigation
Bloomberg Law
Joseph M. Field ’55 Professor of Law Doug Kysar is quoted about climate-related litigation.
Monday, October 18, 2021
European Activists Want to Ban Fossil Fuel Ads. Why Can’t We Do That Here?
Grist
Joseph M. Field ’55 Professor of Law Faculty Co-director of the Law, Ethics and Animals Program Douglas Kysar explains why it is easier for U.S. authorities to regulate fossil fuel ads by placing stipulations on them rather than prohibiting them.
Monday, October 18, 2021
Could Property Law Help Achieve ‘Rights of Nature’ for Wild Animals?
The Revelator
Joseph M. Field ’55 Professor of Law Faculty Co-director of the Law, Ethics and Animals Program Professor Douglas Kysar summarizes the legal argument for granting property rights to wildlife to protect them from habitat destruction.
Tuesday, May 11, 2021
EMBA Class of 2021 Selects Winners of Annual Teaching Awards
Joseph M. Field ’55 Professor of Law Douglas Kysar will share the Sustainability Teaching Award as part of Yale School of Management's MBA for Executives Teaching Awards.
Friday, March 26, 2021
LEAP Hosts Daniel Ho on Machine Learning
LEAP hosted Dr. Daniel Ho for a presentation on his research on machine learning.
Thursday, February 11, 2021
Why Wild Animals Should Have Property Rights
The Law, Ethics & Animals Program (LEAP) hosted Karen Bradshaw to discuss her recent book, “Wildlife as Property Owners: A New Conception of Animal Rights,” which argues for extending a legal right of property ownership to animals.
Thursday, December 17, 2020
Climate change turns up the heat on ad industry
Reuters
Joseph M. Field ’55 Professor of Law Doug Kysar is quoted in a Reuters story about advertising, climate change, and the energy sector.
Monday, November 9, 2020
The Case for Climate Change
A new book coedited by Professor Douglas Kysar and Jolene Lim is the first academic examination of climate change litigation in the Asia Pacific region.
Thursday, May 28, 2020
Kysar Given MBA for Executives Teaching Award
Joseph M. Field ’55 Professor of Law Douglas Kysar was awarded Yale School of Management’s 2019–20 MBA for Executives Teaching Award.
Tuesday, May 19, 2020
Students Tackle Industrial Agriculture Exploitation in New CAFE Law & Policy Lab
This Spring, the Law, Ethics & Animals Program at Yale launched the inaugural Climate, Animal, Food and Environment (CAFE) Law and Policy Lab to provide hands-on training to students on building durable interventions in policy, legislation and litigation.
Tuesday, May 19, 2020
Sustainability in the Post-COVID Economy
Law, Ethics & Animals Program Faculty Co-Director Doug Kysar spoke on a Center for Business and the Environment at Yale panel.
Tuesday, March 31, 2020
John Hughes Discusses North Carolina Hog Nuisance Lawsuits
The Law, Ethics & Animals Program (LEAP) at Yale Law School hosted attorney John Hughes to discuss his firm’s high-profile cases against Murphy-Brown, a subsidiary of Smithfield Foods.
Wednesday, February 5, 2020
California communities suing Big Oil over climate change face a key hearing Wednesday
The Los Angeles Times
Joseph M. Field ’55 Professor of Law Doug Kysar is quoted in the Los Angeles Times about a group of California communities suing fossil fuel companies for their contribution to climate change and the damages resulting from it.
Friday, January 31, 2020
Big Oil: Dismissal of Kids Climate Case Should Doom All Climate Cases
Climate Liability News
Joseph M. Field ’55 Professor of Law Doug Kysar is quoted in Climate Liability News about the recent dismissal of the landmark youth climate case, Juliana v. United States.
Monday, December 30, 2019
2019: The Year Climate Litigation Hit High Gear
Climate Liability News
Doug Kysar, Joseph M. Field ’55 Professor of Law and Faculty Co-Director of the YLS Law, Ethics & Animals Program, is quoted in article about the importance of climate lawsuits in courts around the globe.
Monday, December 16, 2019
Protecting the Rights of Kids: Paul Rink and Doug Kysar on Climate Litigation
Yale Environmental Dialogue Podcast
Paul Rink ’19 speaks with Doug Kysar, Joseph M. Field ’55 Professor of Law and Faculty Co-Director of the YLS Law, Ethics & Animals Program, about the merits and potential of Juliana v. U.S. and other youth-based climate litigation.
Friday, December 13, 2019
Tort Law and Climate Change Litigation
Energy Tradeoffs podcast
Deputy Dean and Joseph M. Field ’55 Professor of Law Doug Kysar spoke with the Energy Tradeoffs podcast about the creativity of recent lawsuits aimed at holding companies and governments accountable for climate change.
Monday, November 18, 2019
Doug Kysar and Jon Lovvorn on law in the Anthropocene
When We Talk About Animals Podcast
In a recent podcast interview, LEAP Faculty Co-Directors Doug Kysar and Jon Lovvorn spoke about how animal law, industrialized cruelty, and climate change are inextricably entwined.
Monday, October 21, 2019
Oil Companies Make Extraordinary Plea to Supreme Court to Stop Colorado Climate Case
Climate Liability News
Deputy Dean and Joseph M. Field ’55 Professor of Law Doug Kysar is quoted in a Climate Liability News article about an appeal filed with the Supreme Court by Exxon and Suncor to prevent a climate liability suit filed by three Colorado municipalities.
Tuesday, October 1, 2019
Doug Kysar at the Brooks Institute Animal Legal and Policy Studies Summit 2019
Brooks Institute
Douglas Kysar, LEAP Faculty Co-Director and Joseph M. Field ’55 Professor of Law at Yale Law School, spoke at the 2019 Brooks Institute for Animal Rights Law & Policy Summit about the importance of grappling with questions about how our society uses laws and regulations to prevent, manage and respond to threats of harm to life.
Tuesday, September 3, 2019
Law, Ethics & Animals Program to Launch
A new initiative, the Law, Ethics & Animals Program (LEAP) will launch during the 2019–2020 academic year dedicated to drawing attention to the questions of conscience raised by human-animal relationships and developing new strategies to address industrialized animal cruelty.
Tuesday, August 6, 2019
Exxon Accused of Pressuring Witnesses in New York Climate Fraud Case
Climate Liability News
Deputy Dean and Joseph M. Field ’55 Professor of Law Douglas Kysar is quoted about the New York attorney general’s litigation against Exxon.
Thursday, July 25, 2019
Big Issues: It’s Past Time to Decarbonize the Economy
Yale Insights
Douglas Kysar, LEAP Faculty Director and Joseph M. Field ’55 Professor of Law at Yale Law School, joined a class of Yale School of Management's Global Leadership: Big Issues course to discuss what it will mean to begin grappling with climate change in earnest.
Monday, June 17, 2019
In Courtrooms, Climate Change Is No Longer Up for Debate
Undark
Joseph M. Field ’55 Professor of Law Douglas Kysar is quoted in an article about about climate change science in lawsuits.
Friday, June 14, 2019
Douglas Kysar Wins Teaching Award from Yale School of Management
Douglas Kysar, Deputy Dean and Joseph M. Field ’55 Professor of Law, received one of the Yale School of Management’s 2018-19 MBA for Executives Teaching Awards.
Monday, December 11, 2017
Here’s what’s at stake for the 21 kids suing the Trump administration over climate change
Think Progress
Joseph M. Field ’55 Professor of Law Doug Kysar is a quoted in an article on the group of 21 youths who are suing the federal government over climate change.
Thursday, July 27, 2017
Fossil Fuel Industry’s 'Tobacco Moment' Has Arrived—A Commentary by Douglas Kysar
Law360
Professor Douglas Kysar is Joseph M. Field ’55 Professor of Law at Yale Law School.
Friday, June 23, 2017
Op-Ed Response: In ‘the Most Important Lawsuit on the Planet,’ Who Exactly Should the Ninth Circuit Rein In?—A Commentary by Douglas A. Kysar
The Recorder
Douglas Kysar is the Joseph M. Field ’55 Professor of Law at Yale Law School.
Friday, June 23, 2017
Cheryl Gilmore: The children lead on climate
The Signal (Santa Clarita Valley)
Joseph M. Field ’55 Professor of Law Douglas Kysar is quoted in an article about the lawsuit Juliana v United States.
Sunday, June 11, 2017
Trump administration takes a 'drastic' step to stop youth climate lawsuit
Mashable.com
Joseph M. Field ’55 Professor of Law Doug Kysar is quoted in an article about efforts by President Trump to quash a climate change lawsuit brought by 21 young people.
Thursday, May 25, 2017
Professor Kysar Receives Teaching Award
Professor Doug Kysar has been selected as one of the winners of the Yale School of Management’s 2016-17 MBA for Executives Teaching Awards.
Tuesday, September 6, 2016
Renowned Climate Diplomat Joins YLS Professors to Teach Global Climate Change Course
In the wake of the conclusion of the historic Paris Climate Change accords, Yale Law School Professors Harold Hongju Koh and Douglas A. Kysar asked Todd D. Stern to join them in teaching a Fall 2016 course at the Law School on The Past, Present and the Future of Global Climate Change: Law and Policy.
Thursday, July 23, 2015
A Communion of Subjects
This spring, Linda Sheehan, executive director of the Earth Law Center, visited a unique new class at Yale, “A Communion of Subjects: Law, Environment, and Religion,” a collaborative effort of the Law School, the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies (F&ES), and the Yale Divinity School (YDS).
Sunday, February 8, 2015
New Harvard Law School program aims for ‘systemic justice’
The Boston Globe
Joseph M. Field ’55 Professor of Law Douglas Kysar is quoted in an article about a program at Harvard Law School that employs an interdisciplinary approach to teaching.
Monday, October 8, 2012
YLS Partner Palau Acknowledged as International Environmental Leader
The island nation of Palau, an environmental partner of YLS, has been named recipient of the World Future Council’s 2012 Future Policy Award.
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Prof. Doug Kysar’s Climate Change Paper Featured in the Environmental Law and Policy Annual Review
Prof. Doug Kysar’s paper “What Climate Change Can Do About Tort Law” was featured in the 2011-2012 volume of the Environmental Law and Policy Annual Review.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Professor Doug Kysar to Discuss Climate Change in Joseph M. Field ’55 Inaugural Lecture
Professor Doug Kysar will give his inaugural lecture as the Joseph M. Field ’55 Professor of Law on November 15, 2010.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Chairs Conferred on YLS Professors Doug Kysar and John Fabian Witt ’99
Douglas Kysar has been named the Joseph M. Field ’55 Professor of Law at Yale Law School, and John Fabian Witt ’99 has been named the Allen H. Duffy Class of 1960 Professor of Law.