David Sive Manuscript Collection

David Sive was a major force in establishing environmental law as a separate field of law.  A founding partner of Sive, Paget & Riesel, P.C., in New York City, he prosecuted numerous environmental suits that established important precedents in environmental law, before the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency or passage of federal environmental statutes.  Indeed, Mr. Sive has often been referred to as the "Father of Modern Environmental Law."

Documents from a number of Mr. Sive's significant cases are collected here in the David Sive Manuscript Collection, including those popularly known as "Scenic Hudson," in which Con Edison was prevented from building a power plant at Storm King Mountain on the Hudson River, "Concerned About Trident," a challenge to the construction of the Trident nuclear submarine, and "Mohonk Trust," a groundbreaking case regarding tax exemptions for land trusts created for environmental purposes.

Throughout his career, Mr. Sive has been recognized for his contributions, with awards from the Environmental Law Institute, the New York State Environmental Planning Lobby, the Sierra Club, the New York State Bar Association, The Nature Conservancy, the New York State Parks and Conservation Association, and others.  

Pace Law Library has organized, described, and preserved Mr. Sive's litigation files to make them available for scholarly research. Archival preservation of the Collection was made possible with the help of a grant from the New York State Archives and Records Administration.

Access to the Collection

Access is limited to persons using the documents for educational purposes and scholarly research. Some documents may not be available for viewing because of the attorney-client privilege. For further information or to obtain access to the Collection, please contact Jack McNeill, Associate Director, Pace Law Library, at (914) 422-4414.

A Sample of Cases in Archive

Scenic Hudson Preservation Conference v. Federal Power Commission (Storm King Mountain Case), 354 F.2d 608 (2d Cir. 1965): in this case about a proposed hydroelectric project along the shores of the Hudson River, the court ensured that adequate steps were taken to maintain the scenic integrity of the Storm King Mountain area. 

Committee for Nuclear Responsibility, Inc. v. Seaborg, 463 F.2d 796 (D.C. Cir. 1971): this case attracted wide media attention to the issue of governmental underground nuclear bomb testing and its potential environmental effects at Amchitka Island, Alaska.. 

Mohonk Trust v. Board of Assessors of Town of Gardiner, 47 N.Y.2d 476 (1979): a real property case that on appeal found land owned by a trust for environmental preservation and use to be exempt from real property taxes.

Collection Development Policy

The collection is expected to grow with the addition of new materials including an oral history by David Sive.

The David Sive Archive is cataloged and maintained by Gail Whittemore, M.L.S., J.D., Special Collections Librarian, Pace Law Library.