Douglas Kysar

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.

A group of people stand at a climate march in front of a banner reading We Demand a Climate Recovery Plan

February 5, 2024

Climate on Trial

Yale Law School alumni are fighting in the courts — and nearly every other arena — to hold government officials and private companies accountable for their contributions to climate change.

January 10, 2024

E&E News

COP28 Could Spur Wave of Climate Lawsuits

Joseph M. Field ’55 Professor of Law Douglas Kysar describes how the recent global climate agreement could result in a growing number of lawsuits against oil companies and governments.

November 27, 2023

The Sydney Morning Herald

Inside the New Climate Assault on the Oil Majors

Joseph M. Field ’55 Professor of Law Douglas Kysar explains why an Oregon county’s lawsuit against oil companies signals a shift in climate change litigation.

September 25, 2023

The Wall Street Journal

Can Climate Lawsuits Against Energy Giants Succeed? Courts Could Soon Give Clues

Joseph M. Field ’55 Professor of Law Doug Kysar tells how states may have a path to victory in climate change lawsuits now before the courts.

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.

May 12, 2023

Vox

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

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.

December 15, 2022

The Hill

It’s Time for Climate Change To Reach the International Court of Justice — A Commentary by Douglas Kysar

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.

October 18, 2022

The Guardian

New Jersey Latest State to Sue Oil Companies Over Climate Misinformation

Joseph M. Field ’55 Professor of Law Douglas Kysar comments on states suing oil companies over their role in the climate crisis.

September 30, 2022

Life on the Ark

Life on the Ark: The Zanesville Animal Catastrophe a Decade Later

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.

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.