Earthjustice is a non-profit public interest law firm dedicated to protecting the magnificent places, natural resources, and wildlife of this earth and to defending the right of all people to a healthy environment. We bring about far-reaching change by enforcing and strengthening environmental laws on behalf of hundreds of organizations and communities.



Earthjustice is the nonprofit law firm for the environment, representing—without charge—hundreds of public interest clients, large and small. Earthjustice works through the courts to safeguard public lands, national forests, parks, and wilderness areas; to reduce air and water pollution; to prevent toxic contamination; and to preserve endangered species and wildlife habitat.



Although there have been laws to protect air, water, and other resources for centuries, the era of modern environmental law began in the mid-1960s when a federal appeals court in New York ruled that citizens with no financial stake in the outcome of a power plant siting decision could nevertheless participate in the process and were entitled to bring their concerns before a court of law. That right, known as "standing to sue," was affirmed by the Supreme Court in 1972 in a case brought by a group of attorneys that would eventually form Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund, now known as Earthjustice