Our environmental laws are only as strong as the judges who uphold them.
Our bedrock environmental laws, such as the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, Endangered Species Act, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and more, have been the foundational laws which ensures everyday Americans have access to clean air and water, seeks to hold polluting industries accountable, and so much more.
This is why the Sierra Club fights to nominate and confirm fair and just judges who are professionally and personally diverse, who recognize the federal government’s ability and obligation to protect the public and our environment, and who understand that individuals need access to the courts to hold industry and government accountable.
Did you know?
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The total number of judges currently serving varies at any given point due to vacancies. At full capacity, there are 870 federal judges who are appointed for life, including nine on the Supreme Court, 179 on the 13 Circuit Courts, among others and 673 on the 94 District Courts
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While Supreme Court cases receive the most attention, more than 99 percent of cases are decided by lower federal courts — District Courts and the Circuit Courts.
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Federal Judges -- who are appointed for life and often serve for 20, 30, even 40 years -- determine if critical environmental laws and our Constitutional rights and guarantees are protected or eliminated.
Sierra Club also advocates for common sense structural reforms to the federal courts such as:
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Expanding the lower courts and adding more judges to help alleviate the immense caseload lower court judges face everyday. Over 99% of all cases are heard in the lower courts and adding more judges will ensure cases don’t drag on for years and will ensure speedier trials and decisions.
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We must also pass an enforceable Code of Ethics that apply to Supreme Court Justices
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Currently all judges on the lower courts must adhere to a code of ethics. However, Supreme Court justices are not bound by any such code.
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