Last summer, Jonathan worked at the U.S. Department of Justice’s Environment & Natural Resources Division in their Natural Resources Section. "I was able to work on matters ranging from Fifth Amendment takings arising out of natural disasters to water rights disputes between states. My work with the Department of Justice was exactly what I envisioned environmental advocacy to look like––one that is informed by both the law and the science surrounding many environmental issues," he said. "HELI’s mission to incorporate students, academics, and local community members is incredibly inspiring, and I am confident Iowa Law’s environmental law programs will become a defining feature of the law school in years to come." Jonathan's Note will be published in Volume 109 of the Iowa Law Review, wherein he advocates for the use of the National Environmental Policy Act and the Administrative Procedure Act as the most effective legal mechanism to litigate environmental justice claims against the U.S.- Mexico border. 

"This summer I will be interning with Clean Wisconsin, which is an environmental non-profit in Madison, WI. I will be assisting them in challenging water permits issued by the DNR and representing them in utility rate cases and construction cases. While at Clean Wisconsin, I am also excited to have the opportunity to design and complete a research project on a specific area of environmental law. I became interested in environmental work after the 2020 derecho. The derecho provided every Iowan, including me, a glimpse into the severe weather events that will be become more and more common if we continue to mistreat the planet. Everyone will be affected by these changes, but the burden will fall the heaviest onto those who were already the most vulnerable. That is why I believe climate change is the largest social justice challenge facing my generation, and why I am excited to be part of the solution,” she noted.