The Court Told Us to Come Back Later. We Are Out of Time.
I am one of 22 young Americans suing President Trump. I didn't want to have to sue the president as a teenager, but he left us no other choice.
We are students, ranchers, scientists-in-training, artists, and athletes. We come from Montana, Oregon, Hawai'i, California, and Florida, from different places and different backgrounds, but we share one thing: we followed their rules to protect our rights, and the courts still slammed the door on us.
Miko Vergun, Lighthiser v. Trump Plaintiff, Declares: “This is a Great Time to Have Hope”
On Monday, April 13th, Miko Vergun walked into the Ninth Circuit Courthouse in Portland—not as a bystander—but as a plaintiff in a landmark constitutional climate case.
Lighthiser v. Trump is unlike anything that has come before it. Miko and her 21 fellow plaintiffs are challenging President Trump’s pro-fossil fuel executive orders that “unleash” fossil fuels, block renewable energy development, suppress critical climate science, and worsen the climate crisis. They’re asking the court to let their case move forward and be heard on the merits.
Lighthiser v. Trump Youth Urge the Ninth Circuit to Reinstate their Constitutional Climate and Right to Life Case
On April 13, 2026, youth plaintiffs from across the country appeared before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Lighthiser v. Trump, which challenges President Trump’s pro-fossil fuel executive orders that “unleash” fossil fuels, block renewable energy development, suppress critical climate science, and exacerbate the climate crisis.
Eva Lighthiser Is Suing for Her Future—Again
As the lead plaintiff in Lighthiser v. Trump, Eva Lighthiser returns to the courtroom nearly two years after her groundbreaking role in Held v. State of Montana, a landmark case that secured constitutional protections against fossil fuel harms in her home state. Now, facing a new challenge on the federal stage, Eva opens up about why she continues to fight for climate justice, the personal toll of defending her rights in court, and what winning this case would mean for her generation’s future—both legally and personally.