Join us in celebrating David Henkin
Award Ceremony for David Henkin - Friday, May 27, 2022
William O. Douglas Award from Sierra Club National for Legal Environmentalism
By Nate Yuen | Reading time: 2 minutes
An award ceremony will be held for David Henkin, Senior Attorney for Earthjustice, for his outstanding work in legal environmentalism. The National Sierra Club awarded David Henkin with the William O. Douglas Award in 2021, but the pandemic prevented an event from being held at the time. An event is now scheduled for May 27, 2022, 5–9 pm at KEY Project in Kahalu'u. Tickets are donation based and can be reserved here.
The William O. Douglas Award recognizes those who have made outstanding use of the legal/judicial process to achieve environmental goals, particularly those with national significance. The award honors longtime Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas, who was an ardent advocate of environmentalism. Attorneys from across the country are nominated for this National Sierra Club award but only one is selected.
In 2020, David Henkin successfully argued before the US Supreme Court that the Lahaina Wastewater Treatment Plant violated the clean water act by dumping effluent into injection wells that were killing coral reefs off Lahaina. In 1998, David got a landmark ruling under the Endangered Species Act in federal court which decided it was unlawful for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife to refuse to designate critical habitat for Hawaiʻi's endangered flora and fauna. Since the early 1990’s, David has represented families displaced from Mākua Beach by the US Military. The Sierra Club has been supportive of this decades-long struggle that resulted in the end of live fire exercises and the return of community access to cultural sites in the valley. David was on the Earthjustice legal team that represented Waiāhole-Waikāne in getting water restored to streams to grow kalo. David currently represents the Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi in legal matters over the Red Hill fuel storage tanks.
Come show your aloha to David Henkin and celebrate the legal victories that enable us to protect the special places and things in Hawai‘i.
Event Details:
Award Ceremony for David Henkin
William O. Douglas Award from the National Sierra Club for Legal Environmentalism
May 27, 2022, 5 – 9 pm
KEY Project, 47-200 Waiheʻe Rd, Kāneʻohe, HI 96734
Reserve tickets here.
To create an inclusive and accessible community event, all tickets are donation based. We suggest a $50 donation per ticket, and any generous donations above $50 will be used to cover event costs for those who may be unable to pay at this time.