Genesis B. v. US EPA
In November 2023, I, along with 17 other California youth filed a constitutional lawsuit against the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for not upholding our Constitutional right to life and a livable planet, as well as our right to equal protection under federal law. This lawsuit was filed under the non-profit organization Our Children's Trust, who have represented youth in other important constitutional cases such as Julliana v. United States and Held v. Montana. The lawsuit is perhaps the most significant of the actions I've been involved in and is definitely the one that I have felt most empowered by.
This lawsuit means a lot to me for a plethora of reasons. Firstly, I think it embodies the complicated relationship between my love of American history and my anger with our government's response to the climate crisis. I have a lot of faith in our system of checks and balances and I think that this case could really show that the courts can hold the other branches accountable to fulfilling their duty. On top of that, this lawsuit feels like a bridge to the future, because as of right now, I am really interested in becoming an environmental lawyer. Taking on the climate crisis through the history and law that I've always loved studying is so incredibly interesting and empowering to me, and I am so grateful to have been given the opportunity to be a part of it.
After filing the case in San Fransisco in December, the case got a lot of coverage on national news (click here to see all the coverage).
