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The Trump administration has been terrible for climate protection. We can stop some of what the administration is trying to do, and we can slow down some more. Our most powerful tool right now is suing the Trump administration. Federal judges decide “against Trump in about 95% of cases,” according to University of Chicago Law professor Aziz Huq.
The administration’s legal losses have created a wave of headlines: “Trump expresses frustration as judge temporarily blocks troop mobilization to Portland.” “Appeals court blocks Trump from removing Lisa Cook from the Federal Reserve board.” “Judges appointed by Trump keep ruling against him”
You might worry the Supreme Court will reverse those Trump-administration losses. It happens, but the Supreme Court rules against the Trump administration about 20% of the time. You may have seen headlines like these: “Supreme Court Rejects, for Now, Trump’s Bid to Fire Government Watchdog.” “Amy Coney Barrett, John Roberts Deliver Trump Brutal Loss in NY Appeal.” “Divided Supreme Court rejects Trump bid to freeze nearly $2 billion in foreign aid.”
Even when the Supreme Court does decide in Trump’s favor, along the way, the cases slow down the administration. The delays have led to their own wave of headlines: “Recent court rulings are holding up some of Trump’s highest-profile moves.” “Judges are pausing Trump’s policy changes.” “White House officials bristle as the courts throttle parts of Trump’s agenda.”
Legal suits against the Trump administration are now some of the most powerful tools we have, not just for climate protection, but also for protecting democracy. A bunch of websites now provide lists of who is suing the Trump administration and about what. A review of the suits shows some patterns:
Many of the suits are being brought by state attorneys general. Here in Washington state, Attorney General Nick Brown has led or been part of 40 suits suing the Trump administration. Some cities and counties have joined in, including San Diego; Columbus, Ohio; Madison, Wisconsin; King County; Multnomah County in Oregon, and Oakland County in California.
Many cases against the Trump administration have been brought by unions. If you work where you could be represented by a union, but you haven’t yet joined, now’s the time. This is not just to have representation when negotiating employment contracts. This is also to support our unions as they protect our democracy.
The other organizations that most need your support are nonprofits. Your support can buy more legal help, and the more legal help we have on our side, the better the outcomes.
Here are three nonprofits who deserve support for their defense of the climate: the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Sierra Club, and EarthJustice.
Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)
The NRDC has been litigating to protect American natural resources for decades. NRDC reports they sued the first Trump Administration 163 times, winning 90% of their cases. This year, they are suing to:
- Stop the Department of Energy from forcing aged gas and coal power plants to continue burning fossil fuels past the shutdown dates that were planned by engineers.
- Protect fuel efficiency for gasoline vehicles.
- Require the Trump administration comply with congressional budgeting for EV Charging stations (NRDC is partnering on this with the Sierra Club).
In addition to advocating for our global climate and our environment, the Sierra Club organizes member hiking, biking, skiing, and birding outings. If you love getting into some of the wonderful parks in Washington State, you’ll appreciate meeting folks in the Sierra Club. Locally, the Sno-Isle Sierra Club is partnering with Kicking Gas to make heat pumps affordable for families who want to stop their global warming pollution. Nationally, the Sierra Club is suing the Trump Administration to get them to:
- Live up to their legally required financing of new public electric vehicle charging stations
- Rehire illegally fired employees for National Parks and National Forests.
- Stop the ecological devastation of new oil drilling in the Arctic Ocean.
With their slogan, “Because the earth needs a good lawyer,” EarthJustice has been suing the government to protect the environment and protect our global climate for 60 years. This year, they are suing the Trump administration to:
- Stop illegal defunding of clean energy projects.
- Restore the IRA program to help Americans save money on vehicles and appliances that do not create global warming pollution.
- Return climate information that farmers depend on to the U.S. Department of Agriculture website.
There are many other organizations that are suing the Trump administration. If I have missed one that you feel is doing particularly good work, let folks know about it in the comments.
Nick Maxwell is a certified climate action planner at Climate Protection NW and teaches about climate protection at the Creative Retirement Institute. His Climate Protection opinion column appears monthly. All views expressed are those of the author.
Thanks Nick. I’m considering donating to the https://www.nrdc.org/
Not happy with how this admin is dismantling environmental protections. Though I do take a holistic approach to energy. I believe there is a place for natural gas. Love to see continued investment in wind and solar.
Thank you Nick for this column. These three groups you listed are ones that I have known over my many years as an environmentalist. There are other groups suing the Trump Administration, such as the Environmental Defense Fund and the Union of Concerned Scientists: https://www.edf.org/media/edf-ucs-file-lawsuit-against-trump-administration-secret-convening-climate-skeptics-use-their There are so many lawsuits that are needed, so it is good that environmental groups are forming coalitions to work together.
Yes! Thanks for the pointers!
Thanks Nick for publicizing this info. It is depressing to live in a time when our forests, waterways, wildlife – and clean energy and climate resilience efforts – are under attack from our federal government. We are fortunate that these organizations and our AG are great at playing defense – even though we shouldn’t have to.