Massachusetts v. EPA
2007 United States Supreme Court case / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Massachusetts v. Environmental Protection Agency, 549 U.S. 497 (2007), is a 5–4 U.S. Supreme Court case in which Massachusetts, along with eleven other states and several cities of the United States, represented by James Milkey, brought suit against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) represented by Gregory G. Garre to force the federal agency to regulate the emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases (GHGs) that pollute the environment and contribute to climate change.
Massachusetts v. Environmental Protection Agency | |
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Argued November 29, 2006 Decided April 2, 2007 | |
Full case name | Massachusetts, et al., Petitioners v. Environmental Protection Agency, et al. |
Docket no. | 05-1120 |
Citations | 549 U.S. 497 (more) 127 S. Ct. 1438; 167 L. Ed. 2d 248; 2007 U.S. LEXIS 3785 |
Case history | |
Prior | 415 F.3d 50, 367 U.S. App. D.C. 282 (D.C. Cir. 2005); rehearing denied, 433 F.3d 66, 369 U.S. App. D.C. 56 (D.C. Cir. 2005); cert. granted, 549 U.S. 1029 (2006). |
Subsequent | 249 F. App'x 829 (D.C. Cir. 2007) |
Holding | |
Greenhouse gases are air pollutants, and the States may sue the United States Environmental Protection Agency if it fails to properly regulate these pollutants. | |
Court membership | |
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Case opinions | |
Majority | Stevens, joined by Kennedy, Souter, Ginsburg, Breyer |
Dissent | Roberts, joined by Scalia, Thomas, Alito |
Dissent | Scalia, joined by Roberts, Thomas, Alito |
Laws applied | |
U.S. Const. art. III; Clean Air Act |
Under the Clean Air Act, Massachusetts argued that the Environmental Protection Agency was required by law to regulate "any air pollutant" which could "endanger public health or welfare." The EPA denied the petition, claiming that federal law does not authorize the agency to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.