4 Reasons for Hope in Environmental Progress Despite the Supreme Court

Americans are now governed by the most conservative Supreme Court of the United States in modern history. Recent environmental rulings from the Court have revealed a dangerous deregulatory agenda. But at Earthjustice, we still have strong legal tools to protect people and the planet.

We are choosing cases and arguments carefully to avoid facing the most hostile courts or creating bad precedent. As the largest public interest environmental law organization, we have a lot of influence over which battles the environmental movement picks.

There’s more to the judiciary than the Supreme Court. Ninety-nine percent of federal cases are resolved in lower federal courts. And the Supreme Court has little control over state court systems, many of which are open to innovative and progressive legal theories. That’s one reason we currently have cases before 24 state court systems.

We…