Evaluating Environmental Justice: How Federal Courts Overlook the Effects of Environmental Policy on Communities of Color

Environmental issues are at the forefront of ensuring the security of our planet. The protection of environmental rights and the establishment of beneficial policies have encountered numerous obstacles within federal courts in recent years. While federal courts have attempted to address these hurdles in past decades, environmental justice is a subject they have failed to confront thoroughly. This paper explores rulings on environmental justice within our federal court system, highlighting how federal courts have neglected individual rights and failed to uphold the constitutional principle of equality. Our research delves into the extent to which federal courts overlook racial disparities when considering the effects of environmental policies on communities of color. Judicial rulings in cases such as Alexander v. Sandoval (2001), West Virginia v. EPA (2022), and Arizona v. Navajo Nation (2023) exclude mention of blatant racial discrimination. These rulings’ lack of consideration for the harm done to these communities has increased environmental racism. This oversight highlights that while the disparities between the effects of environmental policies on people of color and their white counterparts are prevalent, the difficult process of proving discriminatory intent has interfered with the federal court system’s ability to combat environmental racism.