A headshot of Sarah Tallman Sarah Tallman

Senior Attorney

Media Contact

Margie Kelly
541-222-9699
Senior Strategic Communications Manager

Sarah Tallman's work has focused on protecting communities from toxic chemicals in drinking water and consumer products and reducing pollution in our nation's waterways. She served as counsel in a case brought by community groups in Flint, Michigan, to address lead contamination in the city's tap water. The case resulted in a $97 million settlement requiring the replacement of thousands of lead pipes in Flint. She also served as lead counsel in a case that led to stronger rules for how the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency must evaluate the risks of toxic chemicals and protect the public from those risks. Tallman's prior cases have aimed to reduce nutrient pollution in California's waterways, protect endangered Atlantic sturgeon, and stop fracking wastes from polluting Wyoming rivers. Before joining NRDC, she clerked for Judge Karen Nelson Moore on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Tallman holds a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Princeton University and a JD from Yale Law School, where she served on the admissions committee of the Yale Law Journal and was an articles editor for the Yale Journal of Law & Feminism. She is based in NRDC's Washington, D.C., office.*

State Bar Admissions

Illinois

Court Admissions

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

*Tallman is admitted only to the Illinois bar and practices under supervision of a member of the D.C. bar.

This website provides general information, not legal advice. If you need legal help, please consult a lawyer in your state. Sarah Tallman does not hold themself out as a specialist in a particular area of law or law practice.

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Hitchin’ Hill, where many locals go to fish and recreate, near Drew, Mississippi about 8 miles from Parchman

Environmental Injustices Plague Parchman Prison, Mississippi

Expert BlogMississippiSarah Tallman, Natalia Ospina, Marisa Guerrero, Sara Imperiale
For years, the people incarcerated at the Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman have reported a host of problems relating to drinking water and sewage. Now, an investigation confirms repeated and likely ongoing environmental violations at the notorious Parchman prison.

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…

Five Years In, Flint’s Water Crisis Isn’t Over

Expert BlogFlintSarah Tallman
Rev. Allen Overton and Melissa Mays, co-plaintiffs in the lawsuit that led to the ongoing replacement of Flint’s lead pipes, describe lessons learned—and a community that’s determined to better its future.

Resources

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In a city parking lot, a man helps a woman in a wheelchair with a case of bottled water.

Jackson Water Crisis

Fact SheetMississippi, JacksonSarah Tallman, Kimberly Leefatt
The drinking water system in Jackson, Mississippi, has suffered from serious safety and reliability problems for decades. Despite recent attention from federal officials, including a lawsuit filed against the city of Jackson in late 2022, the water system’s problems have…

Environmental Injustice: Communities of Color in the United States Disproportionately Lack Access to Adequate Sanitation

Fact SheetUnited States, AlabamaSarah Tallman
Despite previous calls from UN bodies to fully effectuate the human right to sanitation, the United States must do more to ensure that all residents have access to adequate sanitation.

Investigation Confirms Environmental Violations at Parchman Prison in Mississippi

OverviewUnited States, MississippiSara Imperiale, Sarah Tallman, Natalia Ospina, Marisa Guerrero, Michelle Amelia Newman
An investigation by NRDC and our partners at the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) reveals repeated drinking water and wastewater violations at the notorious Parchman prison in Mississippi.