Vermont Law and Graduate School is proud to announce that Amanda Tynan JD’25 has won the prestigious Burton Award for Distinguished Legal Writing. Law schools across the country compete annually, with each school submitting one nominee. From this large pool, the award committee selects fifteen winners.
The Burton Award honored Amanda for her Vermont Law Review Note, “The Silence of Extinction: What the Kaua’i ‘Ō’ō’s Final Song Can Teach Us About Critical Habitat Designations Under the Endangered Species Act.” In her Note, Amanda argues that Congress should amend the Endangered Species Act to reflect the impact of climate change on the habitat of endangered species. The Note also discusses a range of species whose habitat has been altered by climate change. But the anchor of the paper is the poignant story of the now-extinct Kaua’i ‘Ō’ō. “In 1983,” Amanda writes, “the last male ‘Ō’ō’ sang out for a mate that would never come.”
Amanda and the other recipients will be feted at a gala reception at the Library of Congress in June 2026. Congratulations, Amanda!
Against strong, national competition, VLGS students have won the Burton Award seven times in the last thirteen years.
