“Today I am continuing my fight for safe water by suing the Trump administration for violating my First Amendment right to free speech,” Warn Betanzo said. “The administration fired me and my EPA colleagues to scare public servants into silence. I’ve fought for safe drinking water before, and I will not be intimidated.”
NEWS & EVENTS
Find out how we’re protecting the scientific endeavor and putting our legal expertise to work for scientists.
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Press | News
Drinking water expert who pushed for study during Flint water crisis files lawsuit against EPALearn More
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Press | News
Fired EPA water adviser sues over terminationLearn More“When I joined the NDWAC, I committed to protecting public health and safe drinking water,” said drinking water expert Elin Warn Betanzo. “I’m fighting for the rights of all government employees and the safety of our drinking water.”
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Press | Press Release
Water Expert Sues EPA After She Was Fired for Signing Petition
Drinking water expert Elin Warn Betanzo has filed a federal lawsuit against the EPA, arguing that the agency violated her First Amendment rights when it fired her for signing a letter of dissent.
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News | Monthly Update
Reflections on the Fight for ScienceLearn More
Dismissing the entire National Science Board. Blocking the release of research findings about the benefits of vaccines. Cutting potentially billions…
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Past Event | Workshop
2026 AAG Department Leadership WorkshopLearn More
The 23rd annual AAG Department Leadership Workshop will help members respond effectively to challenges and understand the opportunities and constraints geography departments may face in the coming years. CSLDF attorneys will take part in the session "Safeguarding Academic Freedom," during which we will bring our unique perspective as a legal organization that supports researchers to complement the department-based viewpoints of our fellow panelists.
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Past Event | AGU
Webinar: Safely Exercising Your Free Speech and First Amendment Rights During Election SeasonLearn More
The 2026 midterm elections are fast approaching, and the stakes are higher than ever. AGU's Science Votes the Future webinar series will help attendees feel confident leading up to the election and at the ballot box. CSLDF will provide a primer on safely exercising our First Amendment rights in anticipation of the midterm elections. We will discuss how federal employees and those working with federal funds can responsibly engage in advocacy and activism, and how to do so in a current political climate in which many bedrock rights are under threat.
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Past Event | Conference
Second Conference on Attribution Science and Climate LawLearn More
This interdisciplinary conference will examine the evolving field of climate change attribution science and its implications for law, litigation, governance, and policy. Join physical scientists, public health researchers, economists, social scientists, legal scholars, and legal practitioners as we explore these and other topics.
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News | Monthly Update
15 Years of Defending ScienceLearn More
15 Years of Defending Science This year, the Climate Science Legal Defense Fund (CSLDF) turns 15. Since 2011, we have…
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Press | News
Trump Takes a ‘Wrecking Ball’ to Independent Scientific Advisory BoardLearn MoreThe firing of all 22 current members of the National Science Board stands out as one of the darkest moments of Trump's second term. “They’ve basically taken a wrecking ball to this [board], and we don’t know exactly how they plan to rebuild it, but if history is any indication, they will want to put in very administration-loyal, probably unqualified people,” said Lauren Kurtz, CSLDF Director.
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Press | Op-ed
Bad Faith Disregard of Benefits and Science in Federal Environmental DeregulationLearn More"If scientific uncertainty was the real reason for disregarding benefits, a good-faith response would be to conduct more research to reduce the uncertainty. Instead, the Trump administration has systematically canceled research programs, closed laboratories, fired scientists, distorted research results, and generally attacked the scientific enterprise."
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