By Earthjustice


Donald Trump standing at a microphone with a black background.
Donald Trump. (Brandon Bell / Getty Images)

This Trump presidency will be different.

Donald Trump’s first term as president brought a wave of attacks on the environment, but his haphazard approach to policymaking helped us coordinate an effective resistance in court. Earthjustice beat back many of his most disastrous policies. No organization filed more lawsuits on behalf of clients to protect the environment during the Trump administration than we did — and we won 85% of our cases. Today, President-elect Trump has a far more detailed plan for policymaking outlined in Project 2025 and a bench full of ideologically extreme judges from his first term to support his agenda.

We know this is a disheartening moment. But the next generation cannot afford our inaction. In fact, cynical opponents of climate progress are counting on despair and disillusionment to crush our morale and hamper our efforts. The only way to prove them wrong is for us to act. And while they may have a strategy outlined in Project 2025, we just happen to have our own playbook.

He’s more prepared. But we are too.

Earthjustice is now bigger, stronger, and better prepared than in January 2017 when Trump first took office. With more than 200 attorneys across the country, we’re the legal backbone of the environmental movement. We held the line when the first Trump administration attacked protections for endangered species and public lands, slashed safeguards for clean air and water, rolled back regulations on poisonous chemicals, and undercut the independence of scientists. We’ve shown that we can take on the Trump administration’s worst ideas and win. And we know that no organization can succeed in this fight alone — we will work with our many partners to take on his extremist agenda.

We will fight the Trump administration on every front, including:

  • Ensuring freedom from deadly pollution. We know a top Trump administration priority is to gut regulations of toxic chemicals that cause illnesses like cancer and asthma. That’s why one of our top priorities will be protecting the Biden administration’s recently issued rules requiring the nation’s biggest chemical polluters to cut toxic emissions.
  • Protecting our investments in a new clean economy. We will fight to protect the Biden administration’s unprecedented investments in climate solutions, including the Inflation Reduction Act. And we’ll do it while challenging the Trump administration’s attempts to open up our public lands and waters to oil and gas drilling.
  • Using the power of the law to protect all species. The first Trump administration went after the Endangered Species Act (ESA), our best defense against the biodiversity crisis. Our successful litigation stopped habitat destruction and trophy hunts for key species and pushed the Biden administration to reverse some damaging changes to the ESA. We’re prepared to do it again to protect the web of life that sustains us all.
  • Reinforcing the independence of the judiciary and the rule of law. We have proven that we can win in front of the most hostile courts. But Trump will continue to try to stack the bench with judges who don’t believe the federal government has a role in protecting the environment — and we will continue to loudly push back. We will pursue a legal strategy that chooses cases and arguments carefully, while pushing for needed court reform to restore impartiality and fairness.

Trump’s return to the presidency is a challenge to our democratic principles and the laws that protect our planet and its people. But we’re ready for the fight, and we know how to win. We’ve done it before — and with your support, we’ll do it again.




What You Can Do