Lighthiser v. Trump

── Lighthiser v. Trump ── Court: Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit Date: June 02, 2026 Category: General NOT FOR PUBLICATION FILED UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS JUN 2 2026 MOLLY C. DWYER, CLERK U.S. COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT EVA LIGHTHISER; RIKKI HELD; No. 25-6714 LANDER BUSSE; OLIVIA VESOVICH; D.C. No. KATHRYN GRACE GIBSON-SNYDER; 2:25-cv-00054-DLC GEORGIANNA FISCHER; TALEAH HERNANDEZ; B.B., a minor, by and through his guardian S.B.; J.K., a minor, by MEMORANDUM* and through his guardian L.A.; N. K., a minor, by and through his guardian L.A.; ULA JONES; RIPLEY CUNNINGHAM; J.M., a minor, by and through her guardian C.M.; J.H., a minor, by and through his guardian M.H.; I.H., a minor, by and through his guardian M.H.; KALALAPA WINTER; C.M., a minor, by and through her guardian E.M.; DELANEY REYNOLDS; AVERY MCRAE; MIKO VERGUN; ISAAC VERGUN; JOSEPH LEE, Plaintiffs - Appellants, v. DONALD J. TRUMP, in his official capacity as President of the United States; EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES; UNITED STATES OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET; * This disposition is not appropriate for publication and is not precedent except as provided by Ninth Circuit Rule 36-3. RUSSELL VOUGHT, in his official capacity as Director of the Office of Management and Budget; JEFFREY BOSSERT CLARK, in his official capacity as Acting Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs; UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY; LEE ZELDIN, in his official capacity as Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency; UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR; DOUG BURGUM, in his official capacity as Secretary of the Interior; UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY; CHRIS WRIGHT, in his official capacity as Secretary of Energy; UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION; SEAN DUFFY, n his official capacity as Secretary of Transportation; UNITED STATES ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS; WILLIAM H. GRAHAM, Jr., Lieutenant General, in his official capacity as Chief of Engineers and Commanding General of the United States Army Corps of Engineers; JANET PETRO, in her official capacity as acting NASA Administrator; NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION; UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE; HOWARD W. LUTNICK, in his official capacity as Secretary of Commerce; NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION; LAURA GRIMM, in her official capacity as acting NOAA Administrator; NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION; BRIAN STONE, in his official capacity as Acting Director of NSF; UNITED STATES 2 25-6714 DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES; ROBERT F. KENNEDY, Jr., in his official capacity as Secretary of HHS; NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES; JAYANTA BHATTACHARYA, in his official capacity as Director of NIH; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Defendants - Appellees, STATE OF MONTANA; STATE OF ALASKA; STATE OF ARKANSAS; STATE OF FLORIDA; STATE OF GEORGIA; STATE OF IDAHO; STATE OF INDIANA; STATE OF IOWA; STATE OF KANSAS; STATE OF LOUISIANA; STATE OF MISSOURI; STATE OF NEBRASKA; STATE OF NORTH DAKOTA; STATE OF OKLAHOMA; STATE OF SOUTH DAKOTA; STATE OF TEXAS; STATE OF UTAH; STATE OF WEST VIRGINIA; STATE OF WYOMING; GOVERNMENT OF GUAM, Intervenor-Defendants - Appellees. Appeal from the United States District Court for the District of Montana Dana L. Christensen, District Judge, Presiding Argued and Submitted April 13, 2026 Portland, Oregon Before: OWENS, VANDYKE, and SUNG, Circuit Judges. Plaintiffs-Appellants are children and young adults who challenge three 3