Dear Friend,

I’m writing to share an important victory against the Trump administration.

On Friday August 8, a federal court in Honolulu delivered a major win for the Pacific Islands Heritage National Monument — ruling that the Trump administration’s attempt to open over 400,000 square miles of protected waters to commercial fishing is unlawful.

The court's ruling was decisive, confirming that commercial fishing remains banned in the monument.

This win is the result of tireless effort from our partners, my fellow attorneys, and countless others. I also want to thank every person who has donated to support our work. We represent our clients free of charge, so none of this would be possible without you.

I go to work every day and fight back against the Trump administration’s illegal attacks on the environment. Let me tell you straight: There is no better time than now to join us in this fight. Donate today and help us defend our laws, our planet, and our future.DONATE TODAY: [link removed]

How did we get here?

In April, President Trump signed a proclamation that called for commercial fishing in the monument. Later that month, the National Marine Fisheries Service sent a letter to commercial fishing permit holders informing them that the ban on commercial fishing in the area no longer exists.

In May, on behalf of Kāpa‘a, Conservation Council for Hawai‘i, and the Center for Biological Diversity, we sued the Trump administration after they illegally attempted to authorize commercial fishing.

This month, the court rapidly issued this decision after hearing arguments in the case from Earthjustice on behalf of our clients.

Why is this important?

The Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument is one of the largest and most intact marine protected places in the world, nearly five times the size of all U.S. National Parks combined.

The monument designations, and associated ban on commercial fishing, provide needed protection to scientific and historic treasures in one of the most spectacular and unique ocean ecosystems on earth; including habitat for 22 species of protected marine mammals, and several million seabirds that forage or nest in the monument.

In both his terms, Trump has repeatedly attempted to strip protections from public lands and waters and offer extractive industries carte blanche — all at the expense of critical species, local communities and indigenous peoples, and our climate.

What happens now?

Earthjustice has spent decades fighting to protect wild places and public waters — and we aren’t stopping now. The current administration poses an unprecedented risk to all we hold dear. In courtrooms across the country our team of lawyers is fighting back against the lawlessness of this administration.

It is illegal, and it is harming communities across the country who will be exposed to more mercury and arsenic.

I know we can win — and this case proves it. But we never win alone.

That’s why I want to thank those who made this possible, starting with our clients : Kāpaʻa, Conservation Council for Hawaiʻi, and Center for Biological Diversity. Next I want to thank my fellow attorneys Andrea Treece, Kylie Wager Cruz, and Elena Bryant — and our expert Alan Friedlander. And lastly, once again, I want to thank our supporters. Your donations power everything we do at Earthjustice.

I promise there will be many fights ahead, and anything you can give today will be instrumental in our victories tomorrow.

DONATE TODAY: [link removed]

Aloha,
David Henkin
Earthjustice Attorney


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