Mark Nevitt

Mark Nevitt is an Associate Professor of Law at Emory University School of Law, specializing in environmental law with a focus on climate change's impact on legal frameworks and national security. He joined Emory Law faculty in summer 2022 after serving as an associate professor at Syracuse University College of Law and as the Distinguished Professor of Leadership and Law at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD.

His academic journey includes being a Sharswood Fellow and Lecturer-in-Law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School from 2017-2019, where he taught climate change law and policy, and a seminar on national security law and society. Before entering academia, Nevitt served as both a tactical jet aviator and attorney (JAG) in the United States Navy, achieving the rank of commander and serving as a White House Military Social Aide.

Nevitt's research focuses on the intersection of environmental law, climate change, and national security. His work addresses how climate change destabilizes traditional legal frameworks and creates new security challenges, particularly examining legal issues associated with climate adaptation, managed retreat from coastlines, and constitutional dimensions of climate policy. His scholarly work has appeared in top journals including Stanford Law Review, Vanderbilt Law Review, Washington University Law Review, and Harvard Environmental Law Review.

As a frequent contributor to NYU Law's Just Security blog, Lawfare, and Penn Law's Regulatory Review, Nevitt provides expert commentary on contemporary legal issues. He is a member of the Truman National Security Project and recently completed grant-funded research via the Kleinman Center at the University of Pennsylvania addressing legal issues associated with climate adaptation.

Nevitt's military background informs his legal scholarship, having flown 1,000+ flight hours as a naval aviator and served as an environmental attorney, criminal defense attorney, and ethics attorney in the Navy JAG Corps. Notably, he served as the senior legal advisor for the U.S. investigation into the Iranian detention of U.S. sailors in Farsi Island, Iran. His military awards include the Air Medal and Meritorious Service Medal (four awards).

He holds a J.D. and LL.M. (with distinction) from Georgetown University Law Center and a B.S.E. from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. His expertise is frequently sought for commentary on legal issues at the intersection of environment, security, and constitutional law, as evidenced by recent media appearances discussing the Posse Comitatus Act and National Guard deployment issues.