Nine environmental organizations, including the Sierra Club and Centre for Biological Diversity

Nine environmental organizations, including the Sierra Club and Centre for Biological Diversity, have sued the Trump administration over its decision to withdraw a decades-old interpretation of the Endangered Species Act that treated habitat destruction as harmful to protected wildlife. The lawsuit, filed in Seattle federal court on July 10, argues this move weakens species protection by altering how the law is applied and conflicts with past legal interpretations. Defendants include Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who defend the policy shift as necessary to adhere strictly to statutory language rather than broader regulations. Plaintiffs contend removing habitat protection could hinder efforts to prevent threats to vulnerable wildlife, amid wider environmental policy changes under the Trump administration.