Lawsuit(s) |
Environmental asset(s) and subject(s) of lawsuit(s) |
Court(s) of decision(s) |
Year(s) of decision(s)
|
A-G v Geothermal Produce |
General environment: pollution from pesticide spray |
Court of Appeal of New Zealand |
1987
|
Alaska Dept. of Environmental Conservation v. EPA |
Air: authority to overrule state decisions about technology |
Supreme Court of the United States |
2004
|
Aldred's Case |
Aesthetics: smell from pig sty |
|
1610
|
Allison, et al. v. ExxonMobil Corp, et al. |
Land and aquifers: gasoline leak from service station |
|
2009
|
Amchem Products Inc. v. British Columbia (Workers' Compensation Board) |
Workplace: asbestos |
Supreme Court of Canada |
1993
|
American Electric Power Company v. Connecticut |
Climate: greenhouse gas emissions |
Supreme Court of the United States |
2011
|
Anderson v. Cryovac |
Water: toxic contamination |
United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit |
1986
|
Baltimore Gas & Elec. Co. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. |
General environment: production and disposal of nuclear fuel |
Supreme Court of the United States |
1983
|
Bates v. Dow Agrosciences LLC |
Crop of peanuts: damage by pesticide |
Supreme Court of the United States |
2005
|
Boomer v. Atlantic Cement Co. |
Aesthetics: dirt, smoke, and vibration |
New York Court of Appeals |
1970
|
Burmah Oil Co. v Lord Advocate |
Oil fields: destruction during World War II |
Courts of Scotland |
1965
|
Cardwell v. American Bridge Co. |
Waterways: common highways |
Supreme Court of the United States |
1885
|
Castlemaine Tooheys Ltd v South Australia |
Recycling: bottle deposit |
High Court of Australia |
1990
|
Central Green Co. v. United States |
Land: meaning of "flood or flood waters" |
Supreme Court of the United States |
2001
|
Chemical Waste Management, Inc. v. Hunt |
Cleanliness: interstate importation fee for disposal of hazardous waste |
Supreme Court of the United States |
1992
|
Chevron U.S.A., Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. |
Air: emissions from new equipment and total emissions from plant |
Supreme Court of the United States |
1984
|
Citizens to Preserve Overton Park v. Volpe |
Parkland: highway routing |
Supreme Court of the United States |
1971
|
City of Philadelphia v. New Jersey |
Cleanliness: interstate importation of waste |
Supreme Court of the United States |
1978
|
Climate change litigation and the California Environmental Quality Act |
General environment: climate change |
|
|
Cline v. American Aggregates Corporation |
Water in aquifer: pollution |
Supreme Court of Ohio |
1984
|
Coeur Alaska, Inc. v. Southeast Alaska Conservation Council |
Water: gold mine waste disposal in Lower Slate Lake |
Supreme Court of the United States |
2009
|
Colorado River Water Conservation District v. United States |
Water: supply |
Supreme Court of the United States |
1976
|
Commonwealth v Tasmania |
Water: hydroelectric dam on Gordon River |
High Court of Australia |
1983
|
Compagnie Francaise de Navigation a Vapeur v. Louisiana Board of Health |
General environment: quarantine |
Supreme Court of the United States |
1902
|
Department of Transportation v. Public Citizen |
Air: pollution from international transport |
Supreme Court of the United States |
2004
|
Dolan v. City of Tigard |
Land: paving a parking lot, and providing a greenway and a pedestrian and bicycle pathway |
Supreme Court of the United States |
1994
|
Duke Power Co. v. Carolina Environmental Study Group |
Workplace: nuclear accidents |
Supreme Court of the United States |
1978
|
Edwards v National Coal Board |
Land: preventing accidental rock fall in coal mine |
|
1949
|
Entergy v. Riverkeeper |
Water: cooling water intakes for power plants |
Supreme Court of the United States |
2009
|
Environment Agency v Clark |
Land: compliance with landfill licence terms |
|
|
Environmental Defence Society v New Zealand King Salmon |
General environment: salmon farming |
Supreme Court of New Zealand |
2014
|
Environmental Defense v. Duke Energy Corporation |
Air: emissions in relation to modifications to power plants |
Supreme Court of the United States |
2007
|
Ernst v. EnCana Corporation, 2013 ABQB 537 |
Aquifer: contamination from hydraulic fracturing |
|
|
Exxon Shipping Co. v. Baker |
Water and land: compensation for victims of oil spill |
Supreme Court of the United States |
2008
|
Federal Power Commission v. Tuscarora Indian Nation |
Water: hydroelectric power from Niagara Falls |
Supreme Court of the United States |
1960
|
Friends of the Earth, Inc. v. Laidlaw Environmental Services, Inc. |
Water: industrial pollution of North Tyger River |
Supreme Court of the United States |
2000
|
Gade v. National Solid Wastes Management Association |
Workplace: hazardous waste materials |
Supreme Court of the United States |
1992
|
Geer v. Connecticut |
Wildlife: interstate transportation of wild fowl |
Supreme Court of the United States |
1896
|
Gillingham Borough Council v Medway (Chatham) Dock Co Ltd |
Soundscape: noise pollution |
High Court of Justice |
1992
|
Greenpeace v. Eni |
General environment: climate change |
Civil Court of Rome |
2024
|
Hadacheck v. Sebastian |
Aesthetics: pollution from manufacture of clay bricks |
Supreme Court of the United States |
1915
|
Haida Nation v. British Columbia (Minister of Forests) |
Forests: duty to consult Aboriginal groups before exploiting resources |
Supreme Court of Canada |
2004
|
Stephanie Hallowich, H/W, v. Range Resources Corporation |
General environment: pollution from hydraulic fracturing |
Court of Common Pleas of Washington County, Pennsylvania (Civil Division) |
2011
|
Hanousek v. United States |
Water and land: oil spill from ruptured pipeline |
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit |
1999
|
Held v. Montana |
Effect of climate change on youth |
First Judicial District Court, Lewis and Clark County, Montana; Montana Supreme Court |
2023-2024
|
Hornbeck Offshore Services LLC v. Salazar |
Water: offshore drilling |
United States federal courts |
ongoing
|
Hughes v. Oklahoma |
Wildlife: federal legislation |
Supreme Court of the United States |
1979
|
Illinois Central Railroad v. Illinois |
Submerged land: construction by railroad company |
Supreme Court of the United States |
1892
|
Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad Co. v. American Cyanamid Co. |
Land and water: acrylonitrile spilled from train |
United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit |
1990
|
Industrial Union Department v. American Petroleum Institute |
Workplace: exposure to benzene |
Supreme Court of the United States |
1980
|
Interprovincial Cooperatives v. The Queen |
Water: interprovincial river pollution |
Supreme Court of Canada |
1975
|
Kansas v. Colorado |
|
Supreme Court of the United States |
1902, 1907, 1943, 1995, 2001, 2004, 2009
|
Kivalina v. ExxonMobil Corporation |
Climate: destruction of a community by climate change |
United States federal courts |
2009
|
Kleppe v. New Mexico |
Wildlife: horses and burros |
Supreme Court of the United States |
1976
|
Koontz v. St. Johns River Water Management District |
Wetlands: development and mitigation |
Supreme Court of the United States |
2013
|
Kruger and al. v. The Queen |
Wildlife: hunting of deer by Aboriginals out of season |
Supreme Court of Canada |
1978
|
Kvikk case |
Electromagnetic radiation: congenital disorders |
|
|
Los Angeles County Flood Control District v. NRDC |
Water: pollution from stormwater |
Supreme Court of the United States |
2013
|
Lucas v. South Carolina Coastal Council |
Coastland: erecting homes |
Supreme Court of the United States |
1992
|
Lujan v. Defenders of Wildlife |
Wildlife: geographical limits of a section of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 |
Supreme Court of the United States |
1992
|
Lyng v. Northwest Indian Cemetery Protective Association |
Forests: road building and timber harvesting |
Supreme Court of the United States |
1988
|
M. C. Mehta v. Kamal Nath |
Water and land: land encroachment causing swelling of Beas River and washing away of land |
Supreme Court of India |
1997
|
M. C. Mehta v. Union of India |
Air: pollution causing a hazard to community of Delhi |
Supreme Court of India |
|
Maine v. Taylor |
Fisheries: interstate importation of fish |
Supreme Court of the United States |
1986
|
Massachusetts v. Environmental Protection Agency |
Air: regulation of greenhouse gases |
Supreme Court of the United States |
2007
|
McCastle v. Rollins Environmental Services |
General environment: disposal of hazardous waste |
|
1987
|
McLaren v. Caldwell |
Waterways: common highways |
Judicial Committee of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom |
1884
|
Metropolitan Edison Co. v. People Against Nuclear Energy |
General environment: restarting reactor |
Supreme Court of the United States |
1983
|
Missouri v. Holland |
Wildlife: hunting migratory waterfowl |
Supreme Court of the United States |
1920
|
Missouri, Kansas, & Texas Railway Company of Texas v. Clay May |
Land: weed propagation |
Supreme Court of the United States |
1904
|
Monsanto Canada Inc. v. Schmeiser |
Farmland: deliberate propagation of canola contaminated by genetically modified organisms |
Supreme Court of Canada |
2004
|
Monsanto Co. v. Geertson Seed Farms |
Farmland: genetically modified alfalfa |
Supreme Court of the United States |
2010
|
Montreal (City) v. 2952-1366 Québec Inc. |
Soundscape: invasive music |
Supreme Court of Canada |
2005
|
Morrison v. Olson |
Land: Superfund law regarding hazardous waste |
Supreme Court of the United States |
1988
|
National Assn. of Home Builders v. Defenders of Wildlife |
Water and wildlife: granting state authority over anti-pollution statutes |
Supreme Court of the United States |
2007
|
National Audubon Society v. Superior Court |
Water: supply from Mono Lake |
Supreme Court of California |
1983
|
New Jersey v. Delaware |
Water: liquefied natural gas pipeline |
Supreme Court of the United States |
2008
|
New York v. United States |
General environment: disposal of radioactive waste |
Supreme Court of the United States |
1992
|
Newfoundland and Labrador v. AbitibiBowater Inc. |
Land: remediation of expropriated mill property |
Supreme Court of Canada |
2012
|
Nollan v. California Coastal Commission |
Coastland: erecting a house, and providing a public easement |
Supreme Court of the United States |
1987
|
North Shore City Council v Auckland Regional Council |
Water in Auckland Region: urban development |
Environment Court of New Zealand |
1996
|
Norton v. S. Utah Wilderness Alliance |
Wilderness: preservation |
Supreme Court of the United States |
2004
|
Nulyarimma v Thompson |
Water: mining company draining Lake Eyre |
Federal Court of Australia |
1999
|
Operation Dismantle v. The Queen |
General environment: military tests increasing risk or nuclear war |
Supreme Court of Canada |
1985
|
Oregon Waste Systems, Inc. v. Department of Environmental Quality of Oregon |
Cleanliness: interstate disposal of waste |
Supreme Court of the United States |
1994
|
Overseas Hibakusha Case |
Electromagnetic radiation at natural levels: health-care benefits for hibakusha |
Supreme Court of Japan |
1957, 1968, 1974, 1978, 1995, 2003, 2005
|
Palazzolo v. Rhode Island |
Wetlands: development |
Supreme Court of the United States |
2001
|
Palila v. Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources |
Wildlife: introduced species (goats and sheep) |
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit |
1981
|
Partridge v Crittenden |
Wildlife: advertising brambling cocks and hens |
Queen's Bench Division of the High Court of England and Wales |
1968
|
People v. the Brooklyn Cooperage Company |
Forests: logging in Adirondack Park |
New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division |
1906
|
PUD No. 1 of Jefferson County v. Washington Department of Ecology |
Water: hydroelectric power from Dosewallips River |
Supreme Court of the United States |
1994
|
R v Stephens |
Water: quarry refuse dumped into river |
Queen's Bench Division |
1866
|
R (Jackson) v Attorney General |
Wildlife: hunting foxes and hares |
House of Lords of the United Kingdom |
2005, 2006
|
R. v. Badger |
Wildlife: hunting by Aboriginals on private land |
Supreme Court of Canada |
1996
|
R. v. City of Sault Ste-Marie |
Water: locating a waste disposal site near a stream |
Supreme Court of Canada |
1978
|
R. v. Crown Zellerbach Canada Ltd. |
Water: ocean dumping |
Supreme Court of Canada |
1988
|
R. v. Hydro-Québec |
Water: dumping polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) into the St. Maurice River |
Supreme Court of Canada |
1997
|
R. v. Jim |
Wildlife: hunting by Aboriginals on Indian reserves |
British Columbia Supreme Court |
1915
|
R. v. Van der Peet |
Fisheries: Aboriginal fishing rights extending to selling |
Supreme Court of Canada |
1996
|
Rapanos v. United States |
Wetlands: filling with sand |
Supreme Court of the United States |
2006
|
Rio Grande Silvery Minnow v. Bureau of Reclamation |
Wildlife: irrigation damaging endangered species |
U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals |
2010
|
Rylands v Fletcher |
Water and land: reservoir flooding adjacent land |
House of Lords of the United Kingdom |
1868
|
Ryuichi Shimoda v. The State |
General environment: atomic bombs damaging Hiroshima and Nagasaki |
District Court of Tokyo |
1963
|
S. D. Warren Co. v. Maine Board of Environmental Protection |
Water: hydroelectric dams discharging into Presumpscot River |
Supreme Court of the United States |
2006
|
Save the Plastic Bag Coalition v. The City of Manhattan Beach |
General environment: plastic bags |
Supreme Court of California |
2011
|
Scenic Hudson Preservation Conference v. Federal Power Commission |
Aesthetics and conservation: construction of power plant |
United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit |
1965
|
Sierra Club v. Babbitt |
Endangered species: high-density housing |
United States District Court for the Southern District of Alabama |
1998
|
Sierra Club v. Morton |
Parkland: development |
Supreme Court of the United States |
1972
|
Slaughter-House Cases |
Water: slaughterhouse waste |
Supreme Court of the United States |
1873
|
Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook Cty. v. Army Corps of Engineers |
Water: waste disposal |
Supreme Court of the United States |
2001
|
South Florida Water Management District v. Miccosukee Tribe |
Wetlands (Everglades): pollution from storm water in canal |
Supreme Court of the United States |
2004
|
Sporhase v. Nebraska ex rel. Douglas |
Water: exportation of water |
Supreme Court of the United States |
1982
|
St Catharines Milling and Lumber Co v R |
Forests: land title |
Judicial Committee of the Privy Council |
1888
|
St. Louis v. Myers |
Water: rights of landowners beside Mississippi River |
Supreme Court of the United States |
1885
|
Sterling v. Velsicol Chemical Corp |
Water: disposal of waste from insecticide production |
United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit |
1986, 1988
|
Stop the Beach Renourishment v. Florida Department of Environmental Protection |
Beaches: beach renourishment |
Supreme Court of the United States |
2010
|
Summers v. Earth Island Institute |
Forests: sale of fire-damaged timber |
Supreme Court of the United States |
2009
|
Tahoe-Sierra Preservation Council, Inc. v. Tahoe Regional Planning Agency |
Water: supply from Lake Tahoe Basin |
Supreme Court of the United States |
2002
|
Teitiota v Chief Executive Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment |
Environment of Kiribati: climate change and immigration |
Court of Appeal of New Zealand |
2014
|
Tennessee Valley Authority v. Hill |
Habitat: destruction by hydroelectric dams |
Supreme Court of the United States |
1978
|
Tri-state water dispute |
Water: supply from Lake Lanier |
|
undecided
|
Tsilhqot'in Nation v British Columbia |
Forests: land title |
Supreme Court of Canada |
2014
|
Tuna-Dolphin GATT Case (I and II) |
Marine biology: seine fishing |
Panel of General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and World Trade Organization |
|
United Haulers Assn. v. Oneida-Herkimer Solid Waste Mgmt. Auth. |
Cleanliness: interstate exportation of waste |
Supreme Court of the United States |
2007
|
United States v. 50 Acres of Land |
Land: compensation for replacing condemned landfill |
Supreme Court of the United States |
1984
|
United States v. Approximately 64,695 Pounds of Shark Fins |
Fisheries: shark finning |
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit |
2008
|
United States v. Bestfoods |
Land: pollution from chemical manufacturing plant |
Supreme Court of the United States |
1998
|
United States v. Dion |
Wildlife: American Indians hunting eagles |
Supreme Court of the United States |
1986
|
United States v. Locke |
Water: regulation of maritime activity |
Supreme Court of the United States |
2000
|
United States v. Reserve Mining Company |
Water (Lake Superior): tailings (i.e., mine waste) |
United States district court in Minneapolis |
1974
|
United States v. Riverside Bayview |
Wetlands: placement of fill materials |
Supreme Court of the United States |
1985
|
United States v. SCRAP |
Recycling: railroad freight rate |
Supreme Court of the United States |
1973
|
United States v. Washington |
Fisheries: rights of Native Americans |
United States District Court for the Western District of Washington |
1974
|
United States v. Weitzenhoff |
Water: ocean dumping |
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals |
1993
|
United States v. Winans |
Fisheries: Americans using a fish wheel to catch salmon |
Supreme Court of the United States |
1905
|
Utility Air Regulatory Group v. Environmental Protection Agency |
Air: regulation of greenhouse gas emissions |
United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia |
2012
|
Vatican Radio lawsuit |
Electromagnetic radiation: health effects from non-ionizing radiation |
|
|
Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. |
General environment: rulemaking, and environmental effects of the uranium fuel cycle |
Supreme Court of the United States |
1978
|
Verstappen v Port Edward Town Board |
General environment: waste disposal |
Durban and Coast Local Division |
1993
|
Ward v. Canada (Attorney General) |
Fishing and hunting: catching seals and selling their pelts |
Supreme Court of Canada |
2002
|
West Virginia v. EPA |
Clean power plan issues |
U.S. Court of Appeals |
2022
|
Wheeler v Saunders Ltd |
Aesthetics: smell from pig houses |
Court of Appeal of England and Wales |
1994
|
Whitman v. American Trucking Associations, Inc. |
Air: ozone and particulate matter |
Supreme Court of the United States |
2001
|
Winter v. Natural Resources Defense Council |
Biophony: navy sonar harming whales and other marine mammals |
Supreme Court of the United States |
2008
|
Winters v. United States |
Water: rights of American Indians |
Supreme Court of the United States |
1908
|
Wisconsin v. Illinois |
Water: supply from the Great Lakes |
Supreme Court of the United States |
1929
|
Wyoming v. Colorado |
Water: supply from Laramie River |
Supreme Court of the United States |
1922
|
Yorta Yorta v Victoria |
Land and water: rights of natives |
Federal Court of Australia |
1998
|