Our Work
We go to court to defend the planet and its people
At Earthjustice, we believe the fights for justice and our environment are inseparable. We are committed to the law, our clients, and the planet.
Mason Trinca for Earthjustice
Our Goals
Earthjustice is unique in the approaches we use to achieve our goals and the scale at which we work. Wherever you live, we are fighting for you.
In our connected world, each of our goals are deeply intertwined.
End the extraction and burning of fossil fuels
We expose the true costs of the main driver of climate change and public health ills by enforcing pollution control requirements, blocking new fossil fuel infrastructure, and more. See how.
Power everything with 100% clean energy
We are cultivating a zero carbon emissions, pollution-free electricity grid by phasing out fossil-fuel power generation, eliminating barriers to renewable energy, and more. See how.
Secure clean air and water as rights for all
We clean up the air we breathe and the water we drink, by enforcing science-driven laws, compelling agencies to regulate the cumulative impacts of pollution, and more. See how.
Build a justice-centered environmental movement
We support our partners in their pursuit of intersectional justice by enforcing emission control requirements from industrial facilities, and more. See how.
Remove toxic chemicals and products from our daily lives
We enforce chemical regulations to limit exposure to toxic chemicals, litigate to force public disclosure of health and safety information, and more. See how.
Farm sustainably for healthy lives, lands, climate
We make our nation’s food system safer and cleaner by enforcing laws to support climate-friendly and sustainable agriculture, challenging the worst abuses of industrial agriculture, and more. See how.
Safeguard lands and waters
We reduce and prevent unsustainable development and resource extraction, support Tribal sovereignty and stewardship of lands and water, and more. See how.
Protect species biodiversity
We are confronting the major drivers of the decline in nature and protecting imperiled species and the ecosystems that support their lives — and ours. See how.
Our Approach
When we say we’ll sue, it’s not a threat. It’s a promise — a promise that until we achieve a better future for all, our pursuit for justice will never rest.
Nearly 200 Earthjustice attorneys are litigating hundreds of cases to enforce and defend environmental protections.
Some of our cases are fought for decades. A rare few succeed in just days. Most are in between. Still many others never go to court, achieving on-the-ground change through strategic legal and administrative advocacy.
We work exclusively in partnership, because we believe we are stronger together.
Our clients, in court and administrative proceedings, include hundreds of public-interest and community organizations.
We represent all our clients for free. Through our work, we seek to broaden the environmental movement by elevating voices and bringing together allies who support each others’ intersectional goals.
Examples of how we work:
Yellowstone Grizzlies
The Greater Yellowstone Region is the grizzly’s last stronghold in the lower 48. Warming temperatures have led to alarming die-offs of the region’s whitebark pine trees, whose highly nutritious seeds allow grizzlies to survive the harsh winters.
Problem emerges. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service moves to “delist” Yellowstone’s grizzlies from the Endangered Species Act in 2007, claiming the grizzlies no longer need protection.
Earthjustice files legal challenge, documenting the decline of the whitebark pine and demonstrating importance of the food source, using government's own studies
Courts agree with Earthjustice’s argument that FWS is ignoring its own science and strikes down the attempt to strip protections from Yellowstone’s grizzlies
In 2017, in defiance of the best available science and amid a rise in grizzly deaths, FWS again strips Yellowstone's grizzlies of protections
Grizzlies can now be trophy hunted in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming for the first time in 40 years
Earthjustice challenges FWS’ decision on behalf of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe and conservation groups
Trophy hunts in Wyoming and Idaho will begin on Sept. 1, 2018
Less than 48 hours before the beginning of the scheduled hunts, Earthjustice argues in federal district court to overturn the grizzly delisting
Immediately after the court hearing, Earthjustice requests temporary restraining order to stop the hunts
Later that afternoon and just hours before the hunts begin, the court grants request to temporarily halt the hunts, saving the grizzlies
District court later rules FWS’ decision violates the law. 9th Circuit rejects FWS’ appeal.
Federal protections are restored to Yellowstone's iconic grizzly bears
Earthjustice is working on multiple fronts to sustain the earth’s biodiversity, protecting imperiled species and the ecosystems that support their lives and our own
Where We Work
Across the United States and in many countries, our programs and regional offices focus on distinct dockets of regional, national, and international scope.
Our Regional Offices
With deep roots in key regions, our lawyers are closely connected to the people we serve and the places we protect
Our Programs
Focused on many of the pressing challenges of our time and advancing the right to a healthy environment for all
The Legal Forums
Earthjustice’s attorneys litigate at every level of the judicial system, in administrative law courts, and in public utility commissions where our energy future is being decided today.
The federal court system has three tiers. Most of our national cases start in district court and are resolved in the court of appeals or at the U.S. Supreme Court. We also engage in many state courts.
Winning the legal case is only part of the battle. Earthjustice's litigation work is strengthened by critical legislative work and policy reforms. We bring our legal expertise and amplify our clients’ voices on Capitol Hill and in statehouses across the country.