Court Battles

Antiquities Act & National Monuments Defense

May 7, 2026 Court CaseUnited States

In recent years, national monuments have faced threats on multiple fronts, risking the loss of irreplaceable resources that are often centuries—or even millennia—in the making.

Climate Superfund Laws Defense Cases

April 17, 2026 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.

Unreasonably Delayed Agency Action by the EPA: Neonics

March 27, 2026 Court CaseUnited StatesActive

NRDC is suing the EPA for its unreasonable delay in responding to NRDC’s 2020 petition to revoke all food tolerances for neonics.

NRDC et al. v. Doug Burgum et al.

January 26, 2026 Court CaseArcticActive

NRDC and allies are suing over the Trump administration’s decision to open the heart of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas leasing.

NRDC v. Minnesota Department of Agriculture

January 21, 2026 Court CaseMinnesotaActive

NRDC is suing the Minnesota Department of Agriculture over its failure to adequately protect pollinators and people from neonic pollution.

Center for Biological Diversity et al. v. Bureau of Land Management et al. (Willow Project)

June 30, 2025 Court CaseAlaskaClosed

NRDC and partners are suing the agencies that have illegally approved the Willow oil development project—a ticking “carbon bomb”—in Alaska.

NRDC et al. v. Trump et al. (Bears Ears National Monument)

June 17, 2025 Court CaseUtahActive

NRDC and partners fought to restore protections to this national monument of incomparable cultural and natural significance.

The Wilderness Society et al. v. Trump et al. (Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument)

June 17, 2025 Court CaseUtahActive

The president does not have the authority to reduce or rescind national monuments created under the Antiquities Act. So we sued to protect Utah’s Grand Staircase–Escalante.

Garfield County et al. v. Biden et al. and Dalton et al. v. Biden et al. (Bears Ears and Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monuments)

June 17, 2025 Court CaseUtahActive

NRDC joins the latest fight to defend the monuments from those who want to invalidate their borders.

Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York, et al v. USDA

May 15, 2025 Court CaseUnited StatesActive

NRDC and partners sued the USDA for illegally removing information on climate change from its website.

NRDC v. California Department of Pesticide Regulation

October 31, 2024 Court CaseCaliforniaActive

NRDC is challenging California’s policy that allows pesticide-treated seeds to go unregulated.

NRDC v. E. Scott Pruitt et al. (Neonic Pesticides)

October 31, 2024 Court CaseUnited StatesClosed

Research shows neonics are highly toxic to wildlife, including key pollinators—and the EPA’s failure to act on that evidence violates the Endangered Species Act. So we’re suing.

Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments et al. v. FDA et al. (Antibiotic Resistance)

July 15, 2024 Court CaseUnited StatesClosed

NRDC and a coalition of public health advocacy groups are suing the FDA to halt unnecessary uses of antibiotics in animal agriculture—and protect people and the environment.

Migrant Clinicians Network et al. v. U.S. EPA et al. (Streptomycin)

January 4, 2024 Court CaseUnited States, FloridaClosed

After NRDC and our partners sued the EPA, the medically important streptomycin antibiotic may no longer be lawfully sold or distributed as a pesticide.

Diné Citizens Against Ruining Our Environment et al. v. U.S. Bureau of Land Management et al.

February 1, 2023 Court CaseNew MexicoActive

The BLM failed to consult tribal communities and consider environmental impacts before it approved fracking permits in the Greater Chaco region of New Mexico.

NRDC et al. v. McCarthy et al.

April 8, 2021 Court CaseUtahClosed

When the BLM reopened the area around Utah’s Factory Butte to unrestricted off-road vehicle use, it put this fragile ecosystem at risk.

NRDC v. David L. Bernhardt et al. (Rusty Patched Bumblebee Habitat)

September 1, 2020 Court CaseEast, MidwestClosed

More than two years since the rusty patched bumblebee was listed as an endangered species, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has yet to designate and protect the bee’s critical habitat, as required by law.

NRDC v. E. Scott Pruitt et al. (Enlist Duo)

July 23, 2020 Court CaseUnited StatesClosed

The EPA approved the pesticide Enlist Duo despite its serious risks to people and monarch butterflies. So NRDC challenged the EPA’s decision—and won an important victory.

Alfa International Seafood et al. v. Wilbur Ross et al.

January 1, 2018 Court CaseInternational, United StatesClosed

The National Marine Fisheries Service has a Seafood Traceability Rule that helps prevent illegal fishing and seafood fraud. When it came under attack, NRDC stepped in.