Court Battles

Since our founding in 1970, NRDC has been in court defending the environment and human health. Litigation is in our DNA. 

Photo of the Supreme Court Building, located in Washington, D.C.

Follow some of our landmark court battles as well as other legal advocacy, including administrative cases and amicus briefs. Whether up against a fossil fuel corporation or a government agency, NRDC will continue using facts, evidence, and the rule of law to enforce safeguards and hold polluters accountable.

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Featured Court Battles

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A green turtle at an artificial reef in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Navarre Beach, Florida, on August 23, 2015. Researchers continue to learn new things about this endangered turtle's diet, especially during their early life stages (the lost years). In 2015, green turtle nest counts reached a new record high with 27,975 nests laid on the 26 core Index Nesting Beach Survey beaches during the 109-day sea turtle index-nesting season.

NRDC v. Burgum (God Squad Cases)

Court CaseUnited States, LouisianaActive
NRDC is challenging the resurrection of the God Squad.
The U.S. Supreme Court Building in Washington, DC.

Here’s How NRDC Is Fighting Back Against the Trump Administration in Court

Court CaseUnited StatesActive
A timeline of lawsuits in defense of our health, environment, and climate.
An Atlantic puffin flying over the ocean near Boothbay Harbor, Maine.

Conservation Law Foundation v. Trump (2026 Northeast Canyons defense)

Court CaseUnited States, EastActive
NRDC and our partners sued—yet again—to challenge President Trump’s proclamation and the unlawful regulation that would strip protections from Northeast Canyons and Seamounts.
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Climate Superfund Laws Defense Cases

Court CaseNew York, VermontActive
The philosophy behind these laws is simple: The fossil fuel companies that share responsibility for creating pollution should also share the responsibility for cleaning it up.

Air Alliance Houston et al. v. Donald Trump et al.

Court CaseUnited StatesActive
NRDC and partners are challenging the Trump administration's illegal exemptions of roughly one-third of the nation’s coal-fired power plants from the 2024 Mercury and Air Toxics Standards.

NRDC v. U.S. EPA (Perchlorate)

Court CaseUnited StatesActive
Perchlorate, a toxic component of rocket fuel, threatens the drinking water of millions of people across the United States. NRDC went to court to force the EPA to act.

Concerned Pastors for Social Action v. Khouri

Court CaseMichigan, FlintActive
In a citizen-led case, NRDC and partners filed a lawsuit against the city of Flint and Michigan state officials for unlawfully exposing the people of Flint to lead-contaminated drinking water.

Healthy Gulf v. FERC (Commonwealth LNG)

Court CaseLouisianaClosed
A massive new liquefied natural gas export facility has been approved in an already overburdened environmental justice community. So we’re suing.

Keystone XL Pipeline Lawsuits

Court CaseNebraska, South Dakota, MontanaClosed
The massive pipeline threatened our climate and public health—and the government’s approvals violated environmental laws. So we went to court.

NRDC et al. v. County of Dickson et al.

Court CaseTennessee, DicksonClosed
In the 1960s, manufacturing companies in Tennessee dumped a toxic industrial solvent that causes cancer, as well as reproductive and neurological harm, into an unlined landfill. NRDC helped to hold the companies to account.

South Carolina Coastal Conservation League v. Ross

Court CaseSouth Carolina, EastClosed
NRDC, partners, and coastal states sued to stop seismic blasting in the Atlantic Ocean, which threatens marine life like the endangered North Atlantic right whale.

NRDC Litigation in Action

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Steps leading up to the exterior of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals

We Are Here to Make a Difference: Our Litigators Are at the Ready

NRDC in ActionUnited StatesJenny Shalant
NRDC’s attorneys will continue our time-tested tactics to defend public health and the environment from future federal attacks.
The U.S. Supreme Court Building in Washington, DC.

Here’s How NRDC Is Fighting Back Against the Trump Administration in Court

Court CaseUnited StatesActive
A timeline of lawsuits in defense of our health, environment, and climate.
A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 21 Starlink satellites launches from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on August 10, 2024.

NRDC to EPA: Get the Rocket Fuel Out of Our Water Already!

NRDC in ActionUnited StatesShelia Hu
With endurance, grit, and a couple lawsuits, we’ve spent decades pushing for meaningful perchlorate protections—but will the government finally set one?
A river flows through a flat forested landscape covered in snow

A 22-Year Court Battle Ends with Justice for the Penobscot River

NRDC in ActionMaineNicole Greenfield
After more than a half century of toxic mercury contamination, Maine’s longest river is finally getting cleaned up—a major win for the public interest over corporate polluters.
Eric Olson, NRDC’s senior Director of Health & Food, speaking with reporters in Newark, New Jersey, before a federal court hearing seeking an emergency order to force Newark city officials.

Fighting the Tide of Watered Down Justice

NRDC in ActionFlint, Michigan, Newark, New JerseyNicole Greenfield
Nearly three years after winning a $97 million legal settlement that required the city of Flint to replace its lead water service lines, NRDC is still on the ground holding officials accountable, and using similar tactics as we demand clean…
A gray wolf walks along the edge of a waterfall with a forest in the background

America’s Gray Wolves Get Another Chance at Real Recovery

NRDC in ActionShelia Hu
After getting last year’s unlawful delisting rule reversed, NRDC is setting the stage for stronger wolf conservation.
Young people carry protest signs that read "kill the drill" and "oil spills its poison."

The Unlikely Takedown of Keystone XL

NRDC in ActionNebraska, South Dakota, Canada, MontanaCourtney Lindwall
The notorious tar sands pipeline was a lightning rod in the fight against climate change and the seemingly unstoppable oil industry. NRDC advocates were part of a broad coalition that helped stop Keystone XL—for good.

The Revitalization of This Former Coal Town Starts Now

NRDC in ActionPeoria, IllinoisNicole Greenfield
Following a landmark settlement agreement, $8.6 million will be invested back into projects that uplift the community of Peoria, Illinois, where a dirty coal plant is scheduled to close by the end of 2022.
A beaked whale off the coast of Hawaii

A Whale of a Win

NRDC in ActionCalifornia, HawaiiNicole Greenfield
How we got the U.S. Navy to finally agree to stop conducting harmful sonar testing in sensitive whale migration and breeding areas.