Ars Technica
Trump wants the power to stop the public from suing polluters
Monday, August 3, 2026
The Trump administration's Department of Justice filed a legal brief arguing that citizens lack the right to sue under the Clean Water Act and other environmental statutes, according to the brief. The position reverses decades of enforcement precedent allowing private individuals to bring lawsuits against entities violating federal environmental law. The brief was filed in an ongoing case involving water pollution enforcement.
