Bob Percival
@rperci
Environmental law prof, former public interest litigator, food & wine lover, traveler, fan of Washington Nationals and Maryland Women’s Basketball
2026 Graduates of the University of Maryland Carey School of Law who received certificates of concentration in environmental law.
Happy Harry Truman’s birthday! Today also would have been my late wife Barbara’s 75th birthday. Our granddaughter Zoey (in the picture below) turned 12 last Monday and is now finishing 6th grade. I told Barbara I thought I would live at least to be 90. She did not make any similar promise to me.
So happy that Fresh Farm honored my late wife Barbara at their 20th anniversary celebration. I really enjoyed meeting Ines Andres, Jose’s daughter.
The whole family celebrates Opening Day together at Nats Park on April 3. Because we worship at the “Church of Baseball” Opening Day is a kind of religious holiday in our household. The only time I ever missed was for my dad’s funeral and they played “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” as the recessional.
Tulane law student Billy Hennessy presenting a striking artwork to Professor Oliver Houck at an event celebrating Professor Houck’s distinguished career at Tulane’s Environmental Summit in New Orleans on March 5. The artwork was made by a Tulane alum entirely of recycled materials.
On Dec. 9 at spoke at a conference at the Univ. of Nairobi on how global environmental law is evolving. Speakers were from Kenya, Thailand, the Netherlands, Peru, Malawi, China and the U.S. I emphasized the rise of global networks to expose environmental abuses. Photo of CTEA founderJingjing Zhang.
Thanksgiving dinner with my entire immediate family at an Argentinian restaurant near my son’s apartment in San Juan, Puerto Rico. We watched my favorite basketball team (Maryland women) beat Kentucky (74-66) and Hofstra (95-38) in a holiday tournament. I have SO much to be thankful for this year.
On Friday night Prof. Richard Lazarus of Harvard delivered Maryland’s annual Fedder Lecture. He was spectacular and a terrific inspiration to students and alums concerned about the anti-environmental bent of the Supreme Court’s recent jurisprudence.
SO happy that my rehab has progressed so rapidly that I could return to the classroom for the end of the semester. Huge thanks to my children for going beyond the call of duty in helping with my rehab. I feel so loved by them.
Yesterday I was transfered from UM Medical Center in Baltimore to Medstar DC. This will make it easier for my kids in DC to visit me as I embark on a very long rehab process. Thank you to everyone for your support and caring.
I moved to Capital Hill in DC 46 years ago when I started my clerkship w Justice White. My kids went to public schools on the Hill and their kids also do. DC has never been safer, but we still lack voting representation in Congress. What we don’t lack is fear-mongering outsiders who dump on DC.
On final day of IUCN AEL Colloquium in Lima, Peru, Maryland law grad Emily Hurley presents on waste incineration in China and Baltimore. Recent grad Jenna Schaeffer (on right) presents on EV regulation. Greatly appreciated that they participated in person while studying for the bar exam!
Maryland Carey Law delegation to the 22nd Colloquium of the IUCN Academy of Environmental Law at the Universidad Cientifica del Sur in Lima, Peru: Left to right: Samantha Bingaman, Jon Mueller, yours truly, Bill Piermattei, Tim Cohn & Emily Hurley. Not pictured: Jenna Schaeffer.
My granddaughter Zoey graduating yesterday from fifth grade at Watkins Elementary. Fun fact: she can sing the national anthem of Serbia in Serbian! She and her classmates sang it during a visit to the Serbian embassy. Both my children also are grads of Watkins, a great public school on Capital Hill.
Maryland Law students graduating this year with certificates of concentration in environmental law. At school awards ceremony two of them - Samantha Bingaman and Jo Vandorhorst - were honored for having the highest and second highest gpa’s in the graduating class. And no, we are not easy graders.
My grandson Casen Robert Percival celebrates his 3-month birthday by going to his first MLB game.
Dinner in DC last night with Jingjing Zhang from the Center for Transnational Environmental Accountability and two top environmental law scholars from Uganda and Kenya, including my old friend Robert Kibugi from the University of Nairobi, who were in town for a World Bank conference.
The very best of Md Carey Law was on display last Friday at the retirement party for my colleagues Mike Millemann and Larry Gibson who combined had taught for more than 100 years. Gov. Wes Moore opened the event. I spoke about how Mike created the Environmental Law Program in 1987 and recruited me.
Members of the Maryland Carey Law School Softball Team including co-captains Hannah Lee and Hailey Bernstein attending the Nats/Orioles game at Nats Park on Tuesday April 22. Nats won 7-0, disappointing the team, but not me. Nats welcomed us on the scoreboard.
Yesterday UConn law had a great Earth Day conference focusing on the immense challenges federal rollbacks pose to all levels of government. I was the opening keynote speaker. Enormous thanks to Prof. Joe McDougald and his fabulous students for hosting such a terrific conference.
Congrats to Florida for winning the UVA coed tournament. Maryland walked off Harvard 8-7 and beat William & Mary 16-5 to reach the Elite 8. With a 10-4 lead over UNC I liked our chances to reach the Final Four. But a grand slam and a 3-run HR walked us off. Thank you Hannah and Hailey and the team!
With the Maryland Carey law softball team at the UVA Law School tournament in Charlottesville. They just defeated Michigan by the football score of 21-3. Last night they beat UVA JAG school by 25-0 and Richmond Law 19-3.
I enjoyed speaking this morning at the ABA SEER conference in Philadelphia and seeing some former students. Our panel addressed the environmental jurisprudence of Justice Alito. After I returned to DC I stopped for lunch at the Monocle. Who was sitting at the table across from me - Justice Alito!
Malcolm Stewart had the best line in today’s oral argument in Oklahoma v EPA: “if location in DC meant that the DC Circuit is a hometown court for EPA, then this Court would be a hometown court for EPA, and I’ve never had that perception. (Laughter.)”
My granddaughter Zoey and I are celebrating in College Park after watching the Terp women come from 17 points down to defeat Alabama 111-108 in double overtime to join the sweet 16
So happy to get to see the Terp women in their victories over Oregon Thursday in Eugene (79-62) and today in Seattle over UW (81-73). Taking a red eye flight back to the east coast tonight where I hope to be able to meet my new first grand son tomorrow.