This guide covers specific types of potential risks related to serving as an expert witness and other consulting work, including legal issues, monetary concerns, and conflicts of interest.
2024 Impact Report
During this truly extraordinary year, we have been busier than ever.
Protecting the Scientific Endeavor
Science Under Siege
The Climate Science Legal Defense Fund has fought for the scientific endeavor since 2011. Our initiatives ensure that scientists can conduct, publish, and discuss their research and advocate for science without the threat of political harassment, censorship, or legal intimidation.
Climate Litigation Toolkit
Our free legal resources explain the best practices for safely and effectively engaging in climate litigation and other scientific consulting work.
Our Year in Review
2023 was quite a year. Learn what your generous support made possible.
Updated Report: Open Records Laws
These laws, while critical to government transparency, are frequently misused by groups seeking to harass scientists and slow or halt the scientific endeavor. This report can help scientists and attorneys respond to such inquiries.
Political Action Toolkit
Our free legal resources explain the best practices for safely and effectively engaging in political advocacy.
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Our Work
We provide free legal aid and resources to researchers, educate the scientific community about their rights and responsibilities, and strengthen legal protections to promote scientific integrity.
Silencing Science Tracker
The Silencing Science Tracker is a public database that tracks government efforts to restrict, censor, undermine, and misrepresent science since the November 2016 election. To date, we have documented more than 500 attacks on science. We catalog government efforts to restrict, censor, undermine, and misrepresent science.
Safeguarding Scientific Integrity
We promote scientific integrity reforms to ensure the best available research and data inform government decision-making. And we publish resources to advance understanding of how research institutions and federal agencies approach scientific integrity — and how to strengthen legal protections for science and scientists.
Latest Resources and Activities
Open records laws are valuable tools for government transparency, enabling the public to seek documents related to state and federally…
Scientists must be prepared for politically-motivated attacks. We produced this guide to educate scientists about the legal risks they may face.
Scientists: Know Your Rights
The legal risks for any individual scientist are small, but there are actions you can take to protect and defend yourself, especially if you’re involved in scientific advocacy and activism.
Our Expertise in the News
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Press | News Putting politics above scientific truthNovember 15, 2024 Index on Censorship
As of July 2024, the [Silencing Science] tracker has documented 531 cases of censorship, information suppression, misrepresentation of scientific facts, and other policy or administrative anti-science actions in the United States.
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Press | News Here are 26 organizations fighting Donald Trump that you can donate toNovember 15, 2024 Advocate
[CSLDF] fights for the rights of scientists to conduct, publish, and discuss their research and advocate for science without the threat of political harassment, censorship, or legal intimidation.
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Press | News Letter from the editors: What does a second Trump presidency mean for the fate of science?November 15, 2024 Daily Nexus, UC Santa Barbara
In the wake of the 2016 election, researchers at the Columbia University Law School’s Sabin Center for Climate Law and the Climate Science Legal Defense Fund created the “Silencing Science Tracker.”
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