Margaret Von Rotz

Margaret Von Rotz is a 2024-2026 Public Interest Environmental Law Fellow. She is an Indigenous legal scholar from Kiangan, Ifugao (Philippines) and Modesto, California (USA). Margaret primarily works on tracking toxics litigation trends for emerging contaminants and supporting the Climate Judiciary Project, particularly in their international and energy programming. She also works on issues related to environmental justice. Prior to ELI, Margaret clerked for Earthjustice, the Pacific Community, and the Climate Litigation Network. She has published several articles related to Indigenous environmental justice and Fourth World Approaches to International Law, specifically in the context of climate change displacement, Indigenous protected areas, and World Heritage sites. 

Margaret holds a J.D. from UC Law San Francisco and an LL.M in Environmental Law and Sustainable Development from SOAS University of London. Prior to her legal career, Margaret was a special education teacher in Wahiawa, Hawai'i. She graduated from UCLA in 2018 with a B.A. in Political Science and a minor in Global Studies.