For most college students, leaving a dorm party early to catch a flight wouldn't raise many eyebrows. But for 20-year-old Eva Lighthiser, the trip meant heading to court to fight for a climate lawsuit against the President of the United States.
Lighthiser, a student and longtime outdoor enthusiast, is the lead plaintiff in a case challenging federal actions that support fossil fuels. She's pursuing it while also trying to build community with other young people who share the same fears about the planet's future.
According to The Guardian, Lighthiser and 22 other young Americans are asking the courts to revive Lighthiser v. Trump, a lawsuit arguing that federal actions expanding fossil fuel development violate their constitutional rights.
The case was dismissed last fall by U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen, who said he did so "reluctantly" but found the plaintiffs' requests too broad for the court to handle. In April, the youth plaintiffs traveled to Portland, Oregon, to ask the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to reinstate it.
Lighthiser, who grew up in Livingston, Montana, is no stranger to climate litigation. She was also a plaintiff in Held v Montana, the landmark youth climate case that ended in a major win in 2023. That case helped establish her as a young organizer and public voice in her community.
Now, she's taking on an even bigger challenge at the federal level, saying the government is "sacrificing the lives of myself and my fellow plaintiffs by expanding fossil fuels for the sake of power."
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Young Americans are increasingly turning to the courts as climate change reshapes their daily lives, especially in places like Montana, where natural beauty and environmental damage exist side by side.
Lighthiser's hometown has experienced both. She has seen coal trains pass near her neighborhood, watched a climate-linked parasite affect the Yellowstone River, and lived through major flooding that disrupted her family's life. In 2022, Yellowstone River flooding caused an estimated $128 million in damage.
Some experts worry that if sweeping climate arguments reach a hostile court, the result could limit future environmental lawsuits. Even so, supporters say the litigation keeps pressure on government leaders and puts young people's lived experiences on the record.
Lighthiser's legal team at Our Children's Trust is continuing to press the case, arguing that bold constitutional claims are necessary when government decisions worsen climate harm for younger generations.
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For Lighthiser, the work is both legal and deeply personal: protecting a place she loves while helping other young people feel empowered to speak up.
"That was really a moment when it clicked," Lighthiser said. "My name against his name." She added, "There are risks. But if you never take risks, nothing good happens."
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