Environmental Law

DOJ lawsuit against Texas for Rio Grande barriers is based on this law

The United States filed a lawsuit Monday that seeks to force Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to remove floating barriers that he placed in the Rio Grande River to deter illegal immigration.

Jul 25, 2023 9:11 AM CDT

ABA will receive United Nations Human Rights Prize for environmental advocacy

The ABA and other members of a global coalition have received the 2023 United Nations Human Rights Prize for their role in advocating for the U.N. General Assembly’s recognition of the right to a healthy environment in 2022.

Jul 20, 2023 3:20 PM CDT

Lawyer’s RICO suit seeks to force fossil fuel companies to pay for hurricane damage

A small-town Illinois lawyer who once sued oil companies over contaminated land has turned her attention to climate change and the companies allegedly fueling the problem.

Jul 19, 2023 3:40 PM CDT

Nation’s first youth climate lawsuits to go to trial

Held v. State of Montana is part of a growing trend in climate-related litigation: shifting away from lawsuits targeting specific fossil fuel projects and toward a bigger-picture approach focusing on fundamental rights and broad violations of public trust.

Jun 7, 2023 11:11 AM CDT

Judge delays 3M ‘forever chemicals’ trial after 3 other companies announce settlement

A federal judge has delayed the trial of a claim that “forever chemicals” made by 3M, a multinational conglomerate corporation, contaminated the municipal water system in Stuart, Florida.

Jun 5, 2023 3:01 PM CDT

3M faces trial over ‘forever chemicals’ in firefighting foam in ‘bet-the-company’ litigation

3M faces its first trial out of about 4,000 lawsuits claiming that its cancer-linked “forever chemicals” known as PFAs have leached into groundwater.

Jun 2, 2023 10:47 AM CDT

Supreme Court decision in wetlands case will impair flood control, affect water quality, Kavanaugh warns

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday in its bid to classify an Idaho property as protected wetlands.

May 25, 2023 1:06 PM CDT

Techniques to recover environmental DNA are ‘like catnip’ for law enforcement, law prof says

Wildlife geneticists were able to recover and analyze trace amounts of human DNA lingering in the environment, raising concerns among privacy advocates who think that the tool could be misused.

May 17, 2023 8:41 AM CDT

Seattle settles case involving ‘rights of nature,’ a theory gaining steam in other countries

Last month, the city of Seattle settled a “rights of nature” case pending in the Sauk-Suiattle Tribal Court of Appeals that was filed on behalf of salmon harmed by dams on the Skagit River.

May 16, 2023 9:33 AM CDT

Jackson joins 3 conservative dissenters as Supreme Court upholds California’s pig welfare law

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a California law that bans the in-state sale of pork that comes from pigs raised in tiny stalls.

May 11, 2023 12:06 PM CDT

Supreme Court could limit agency power after agreeing to reconsider Chevron deference

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to consider overruling a 1984 decision that established Chevron deference—the principle that federal courts should defer to reasonable federal agency views when Congress passes ambiguous laws.

May 1, 2023 11:51 AM CDT

Catching ‘the Green Bug’: Environmental law group looks to inspire middle school students

“I think it’s important for lawyers to engage students, to let them know this is what we do, these are the issues we tackle,” says Jonathan Nwagbaraocha, vice chair of the ABA Section of Environment, Energy and Resources. “Whether they go to law school, whether they practice in the long term, it’s really about getting the word out that this is something they might find interesting.”

Apr 20, 2023 12:33 PM CDT

A horse is a horse—of course? Oregon Supreme Court denies plaintiff horse case review

It was an open and shut case of neglect. The victim in rural Oregon was starved, denied proper shelter and suffered from frostbite and grave injuries. His caregiver pled guilty in 2017 to criminal neglect. A year later, damages were sought for the 8-year-old victim to cover the lifelong medical care necessary for his physical and emotional injuries. But in Justice v. Vercher, the plaintiff is not a child. He is a horse.

Mar 28, 2023 1:01 PM CDT

Prosecution of environmental lawyer Steven Donziger broke ‘basic constitutional promise,’ 2 SCOTUS justices say

Two conservative justices are raising concerns about judge-appointed prosecutors in a dissent from the U.S. Supreme Court’s refusal to hear the case of disbarred environmental lawyer Steven Donziger.

Mar 27, 2023 11:56 AM CDT

Impurr-fect evidence dooms suit over couple’s initial plans to declaw adopted Himalayan kitten

A Louisiana law governing the sale of good worth more than $500 has doomed a lawsuit filed by a woman seeking to prevent the declawing of a Flame Point Himalayan kitten she sold to a North Carolina couple.

Mar 20, 2023 2:50 PM CDT