UCS vs the Trump Administration’s Anti-Science Actions

The Trump administration has sought to illegally repeal bedrock regulations that protect everyday people and communities from harm. We won’t let them.

Success: EDF et al. v. Wright

In August 2025, UCS and the Environmental Defense Fund challenged the administration’s use of a secretly convened group of climate skeptics, who prepared a widely disparaged report in an attempt to undo a bedrock legal finding (the “endangerment finding”). The case was terminated in January 2026 after a judge agreed with our case. Read more.

APHA et al. v. EPA

In February 2026, UCS joined the American Public Health Association and 15 other organizations in a lawsuit against Lee Zeldin and the EPA, alleging that the repeal of the endangerment finding was unlawful. The case is moving through the courts now. Read more.

The Trump administration is illegally suppressing, hiding, and removing scientific information and data. We’re getting it back.

Sierra Club et al. v. EPA

In April 2025, UCS joined the Sierra Club and other organizations in challenging the removal of webpages about environmental justice and climate change by five federal agencies. We’re awaiting the court’s decision. Read more.

NPCA et al. v. DOI

In February 2026, UCS joined the National Parks Conservation Association and four other organizations challenging President Trump’s executive order on the rewriting of American history and removal of climate science at national parks. The plaintiffs won a preliminary injunction ordering the Trump Administration to restore censured materials and blocking them from further censorship. That order is now paused in part, as the Government appeals the decision.

The Trump administration has relentlessly attacked and defunded scientific infrastructure in violation of the United States constitution. We’re defending it.

JACL et al. v. Musk

In March 2025, UCS joined the Japanese American Citizens League, Asian Pacific American Advocates, and the Sierra Club to sue a range of defendants, including Elon Musk, on illegal cuts to federal agency funding and staffing. We believe our lawsuit was a factor in slowing down some of the Department of Government Efficiency's (DOGE) actions during the first year of the Trump administration, and also brought pressure that helped force the administration to disband DOGE early. The government's motion to dismiss the case was denied by the DC District Court in March 2026 and the case is now actively proceeding with discovery.

Jackler et al. v. DOJ et al.

In June 2026, UCS filed an amicus brief, joined by the Center for Open Science and the Environmental Protection Network, elevating the potential harms to federal science and scientists in a case where the federal government claimed the constitutional right to fire all federal employees at-will. In the amicus brief, UCS urged the appeals court to consider how the Administration would also seek to exploit any ruling in their favor to widen its unjustified and illegal assault on the individuals who ensure federal agencies make policy decisions based on the best available science.

In 2020, UCS launched The Science Hub for Climate Litigation, a community of scientists and legal experts working at the intersection of science and legal theory. We connect experts, conduct novel research, and work to ensure that courts have access to science to inform their decision making. Read more.

The fight for science extends far beyond the courtroom. Read our campaign pages for a closer look at how UCS advocacy is unfolding at the state and federal levels.