Legal team

As advocates, our job is to make sure children’s voices are heard in courts of law. Held youth plaintiffs are represented by Nate Bellinger, Mat dos Santos, Philip Gregory, Julia Olson, Andrea Rodgers with Our Children’s Trust; Melissa Hornbein and Barbara Chillcott with Western Environmental Law Center; and Roger Sullivan with McGarvey Law.

WESTERN ENVIRONMENTAL LAW CENTER

Melissa Hornbein

Melissa joined WELC in January 2020 after working in state and federal government. She holds a BS in botany and a BA in anthropology from the University of Washington, and obtained her J.D. in 2008 from University of California College of the Law, San Francisco.

The next year, she earned a M.S. in environmental studies from the University of Montana. Before practicing as an attorney, Melissa worked in the field as a botanist/biological technician for various academic and governmental entities, including the National Park Service and U.S. Geological Survey. She worked as an attorney with the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation on tribal and federal water rights issues, and as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Montana with the Department of Justice.

press & media

Rolling Stone April 7, 2023 Sixteen Kids Are Fighting the Climate Crisis in Court The Guardian August 14, 2023 ‘Gamechanger’: judge rules in favor of young activists in US climate trial Montana Free Press August 14, 2023 Judge rules in favor of youth plaintiffs in Montana climate lawsuit