Aaron Colangelo
Partner DC
I litigate cases to protect the environment and public health. I received a J.D. cum laude from Harvard Law School and a degree in History from Penn State University.
Site I Frequent
nytimes.com
Perfect Vacation
Hiking in Shenandoah National Park
Favorite Game
Hearts
Desired Superpower
Time Travel
Curriculum Vitae
AARON COLANGELO is a Partner at Edelson PC, where his work focuses on redressing environmental harms and protecting public health. Before joining Edelson PC, Aaron spent two decades litigating environmental cases with the Natural Resources Defense Council. At NRDC, Aaron served as counsel in more than 150 cases, including lawsuits related to drinking water contamination, migrant farmworker health, hazardous waste cleanup, coastal water quality, food safety, energy efficiency, air pollution, climate change, and toxics in consumer products. Aaron also spent five years as NRDC’s litigation co-director, where he helped lead a team of 40 lawyers and paralegals and oversaw a nationwide litigation docket. He has argued in dozens of federal and state courts, including in the U.S. Supreme Court, and he taught environmental litigation for four years as an adjunct professor at the Howard University School of Law.
- NRDC v. EPA, No. 21-1020 (D.C. Cir.): lead counsel in lawsuit to strengthen federal standard for exposure to lead in drinking water.
- Potomac Riverkeeper v. U.S. Department of the Navy, No. 23-cv-1650 (D.Md.): lead counsel in lawsuit against the U.S. Navy for munitions testing program in the Potomac River.
- L.A. County Flood Control District v. NRDC, 568 U.S. 78 (2013); NRDC v. County of L.A., 725 F.3d 1194 (9th Cir. 2013): lead counsel in successful Clean Water Act enforcement lawsuit to abate stormwater pollution.
- NRDC v. EPA, 658 F.3d 200 (2d Cir. 2011): lead counsel in successful suit to protect children from exposure to the insecticide dichlorvos.
- NRDC v. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 597 F. Supp. 2d 370 (S.D.N.Y. 2009): lead counsel in successful lawsuit to enforce ban on phthalates in toys and child care products.
- NRDC v. Johnson, 2008 WL 11343609 (C.D.Cal. 2008), 2008 WL 11342972 (C.D.Cal. 2008), 2007 WL 1121799 (C.D.Cal. 2007): lead counsel in successful suit to reduce human exposure to harmful bacteria and other pathogens in coastal waters.
- West Harlem Environmental Action v. EPA, 380 F. Supp. 2d 289 (S.D.N.Y. 2005): lead counsel in successful case to mandate child safety measures for widely used rat poisons, to eliminate accidental poisonings.
- Lawdragon Green 500 Leaders in Environmental Law (2023)
- Lawdragon 500 Leading Environmental and Energy Lawyers (2021)
- Adjunct professor at Howard University School of Law, Environmental Litigation seminar (2010-2014)
- Guest lecturer on environmental law and public health law topics at Harvard Law School, Harvard School of Public Health, Yale Law School, Yale School of the Environment, Georgetown University Law Center, Columbia Law School, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, UC Berkeley School of Law, George Washington University Law School, and University of Michigan Biological Station.
- District of Columbia
- D.D.C.
- D.Md.
- U.S. Supreme Court
- D.C. Circuit
- 2nd Circuit
- 4th Circuit
- 6th Circuit
- 9th Circuit