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For Immediate Release
July, 23 2009, 02:56pm EDT
Contact:
Kathleen Sutcliffe, Earthjustice, (202) 667-4500, ext 235
Judge Rejects Industry Legal Filings in Toxics Right-To-Know Case
Household cleaner giants violated court procedure, case postponed until October
NEW YORK
A New York State Supreme Court judge today rejected legal briefs
filed by household cleaning giants Procter & Gamble,
Colgate-Palmolive, Church and Dwight and Reckitt-Benckiser in a
right-to-know case filed by environmental and public health advocates.
Oral arguments in the case were scheduled to begin today. But during
a pre-hearing conference, Justice Richard Braun stated that lawyers for
industry had violated court procedure, filing a motion-to-dismiss brief
that exceeded the maximum page limit. Justice Braun tossed the brief
and rescheduled oral arguments in the case for October 15.
The manufacturing giants are refusing to follow a New York state law
requiring them to disclose the chemical ingredients in their products
and the health risks they pose. Independent studies show a link between
many chemicals commonly found in cleaning products and health effects
ranging from nerve damage to hormone disruption. With mounting concern
about the potential hazards of chemicals in these products, advocates
are defending consumers' right to know and asking companies to follow
the law.
Ingredient disclosure requirements are virtually non-existent in the
United States. The exception is a long-forgotten New York state law
which requires household and commercial cleaner companies selling their
products in New York to file semi-annual reports with the state listing
the chemicals contained in their products and describing any company
research on these chemicals' health and environmental effects.
The first-of-its-kind lawsuit
could have national implications and comes as momentum builds
nationally and internationally for toxics chemical reform. On the
domestic front, advocates are awaiting Congressional re-introduction of
the Kid Safe Chemical Act which would force the chemical industry to
prove the safety of a chemical before approving it for use in products.
And internationally, companies are preparing to comply with similar
European regulations (known as REACH) already taking effect.
The nonprofit public interest law firm Earthjustice brought the
court case on behalf of a coalition of state and national groups,
including Women's Voices for the Earth, Clean New York, Environmental
Advocates of New York, New York Public Interest Research Group,
Riverkeeper, Sierra Club, and American Lung Association in New York.
See if the manufacturers of your favorite cleaning products have complied with the law
Earthjustice is a non-profit public interest law firm dedicated to protecting the magnificent places, natural resources, and wildlife of this earth, and to defending the right of all people to a healthy environment. We bring about far-reaching change by enforcing and strengthening environmental laws on behalf of hundreds of organizations, coalitions and communities.
800-584-6460LATEST NEWS
Omar Warns Trump Aims to Provoke Enough Agitation in Minnesota So He Can Declare 'Martial Law'
"There is no other justifiable way to describe what is taking place in Minneapolis at this moment," said the Minnesota Democrat.
Jan 10, 2026
Amidst national outrage this week over the killing by Minneapolis resident Renee Nicole Good by a federal agent, members of Minnesota's congressional delegation on Saturday were blocked from full access to a federal immigration detention center in the city—but at least one lawmaker among them warns something much more sinister is now taking place in the state.
"I was just denied access to the ICE processing center at the Whipple Building," Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), who represents the state's 5th District. "Members of Congress have a legal right and constitutional responsibility to conduct oversight where people are being detained. The public deserves to know what is taking place in ICE facilities."
Omar shared a video of herself, along with Reps. Angie Craig and Kelly Morrison, outside the facility as large numbers of masked federal agents in protective gear blocked the driveway entrance.
Happening NOW: US Reps Ilhan Omar and Angie Craig are attempting to enter Whipple Fed Building- met with federal agents on other side. @wcco pic.twitter.com/3eIWxiLaW7
— Adam Duxter (@AdamDuxter) January 10, 2026
In a telephone interview with MSNOW, Omar later explained that she and her colleagues arrived at the facility Saturday morning in order to conduct oversight activities. While Omar said they were initially allowed to enter the building, they were shortly after told they "had to wait until higher-ups were able to come speak with us."
It seemed to Omar, she said, that the order to halt their visit "maybe came from Washington to deny us the proper access that we needed to complete those oversight duties that we are obligated as members of Congress."
Calling it a clear violation of their oversight authority, Omar and Craig explained to reporters what happened after they were denied further access to the facility:
"This is beyond the pale." Democratic Congresswomen Rep. Ilhan Omar and Rep. Annie Craig had their access to a federal detention facility revoked while touring the building. pic.twitter.com/KthvotCREX
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) January 10, 2026
Noting the size and scale of the presence of armed federal agents now deployed in her state, Omar suggested in her interview with MSNOW that the recent Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) operations being conducted serve no purpose other than to harass and terrorize local communities. That militarized presence has only grown since Trump ordered more agents to the city following Wednesday's killing of Good and the protests that have erupted as a result.
" Protest is as American as apple pie," said Omar. "People come out to register their opposition to what they do not like or want to accept. It is important for people to be able to do that in a democracy."
"What we are seeing right now, not only from the surge of 2,000 federal agents—now we have another 1,000 apparently coming in—it is essentially trying to create this kind of environment where people feel intimidated, threatened, and terrorized. And I think the ultimate goal of [Homeland Security Security Secretary] Kristi Noem and President Trump is to agitate people enough where they are able to invoke the Insurrection Act to declare martial law."
"There is," she continued, "no other justifiable way to describe what is taking place in Minneapolis at this moment. There is no justifiable reason why this number of agents is here in our state."
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AOC: ICE Killing of Renee Good Exposes 'Fundamental Difference' Between Herself and JD Vance
"I understand that Vice President Vance believes that shooting a young mother of three in the face three times is an acceptable America that he wants to live in, and I do not."
Jan 10, 2026
Speaking with reporters on Friday about the killing of Renee Nicole Good by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer Jonathan Ross in Minneapolis earlier this week, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said the violence exposes a key contrast about the nation she wants to live in and the vision espoused by Vice President JD Vance, who has been outspoken in his demonization of the victim while defending the actions of Ross.
"I understand that Vice President Vance believes that shooting a young mother of three in the face three times is an acceptable America that he wants to live in, and I do not," said the New York Democrat to a gaggle of reporters outside the Capitol Building. "And that is a fundamental difference between Vice President Vance and I. I do not believe that the American people should be assassinated in the street."
REP. @AOC: “I understand VP Vance believes shooting a young mother in the face 3x is an acceptable 🇺🇸 he wants to live in, and I do not. That is a fundamental difference between VP Vance and I. I do not believe 🇺🇸 people should be assassinated in the street.” pic.twitter.com/KM6W6FpWnh
— The Tennessee Holler (@TheTNHoller) January 9, 2026
The specific question was asked by CBS News' Patrick Maguire who asked for Ocasio-Cortez's reaction to Vance claiming that the killing of Good was "a tragedy" of her "own making." In comments in the White House briefing room on Thursday, a day after the shooting, Vance said it was "preposterous" for anyone to criticize the actions of Ross.
Vance, along with President Donald Trump and other White House officials, have repeatedly tried to deny what video evidence of the shooting clearly shows: that Good was presenting no imminent threat to the officer, did not "target" him with her vehicle, and was not—as officials claimed—fully blocking the street from passing vehicles prior to her killing.
Vance on Thursday also falsely asserted that ICE agents like Ross have "absolute immunity" for their actions, a claim that legal experts—as well as prosecutors in Minnesota—have said is simply not true.
In her remarks to reporters on Friday, Ocasio-Cortez lamented what she called "extrajudicial killings" by ICE agents on the streets of America, exceeding their mandates and empowered by a huge influx of funding provided by the Trump administration and Republican lawmakers this year.
Ocasio-Cortez said it "shows the danger we are in," when Trump claims, like he did in an interview with the New York Times this week, that he will only be constrained by his "own morality," suggesting Congress and the judiciary are not obstacles to his power.
"We have a Republican majority that has decided to completely abdicate its power to the president," she said. "I think it's up to the American people to ensure that we take away power from those who do not use it well."
In contrast to Republicans who say ICE agents operating in cities across the country are "just doing their jobs," Ocasio-Cortez said, "I would not say that assassinating a young mother of three in the street is part of ICE's mandate." She encouraged people not to take her word for it, but to "watch the video for yourselves."
"Watch that video for yourself and you will see a woman trying to back up her vehicle and leave a volatile scene—and she was met with three bullets to the face," the lawmaker said. "Any law enforcement officer in the country, worth their salt, can tell you that is not how you handle that situation."
Ocasio-Cortez and Vance are both seen as leading possible contenders for their respective parties when it comes to the presidential race in 2028.
"Vance, who may see himself pitted against [Ocasio-Cortez] in a general election," said journalist Ryan Grim on Friday, "will deeply regret—I hope in his heart, but certainly politically—trashing Renee Good as "deranged" while valorizing his killer, who called her a 'fuckin' bitch' after shooting her through her side window."
Released Friday, and posted on social media by Vance, video footage taken from Ross' own phone, which was holding and filming with in the moment leading up to the shooting, Good's final words to recorded were not those of an angry or "deranged" person, but a smiling local citizen who said to Good, "It's fine, dude. I'm not mad at you."
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US Voters and DNC Fight Trump DOJ Efforts to Seize Sensitive Voter Data
"We must prevent this federal power grab and protect our democracy from these corrupt partisan stunts," said the ACLU of Wisconsin legal director.
Jan 09, 2026
Residents of Wisconsin and Washington, DC this week continued the legal fight against efforts by President Donald Trump's administration to gain access to confidential information about registered voters as the Democratic National Committee issued a related warning to 10 state governments.
The group Common Cause on Thursday highlighted its recent motion to intervene in United States v. Evans, a federal lawsuit brought by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) against the District of Columbia's Board of Elections, led by Monica Evans.
Lawyers from the ACLU National Voting Rights Project filed the motion in the US District Court for the District of Columbia on behalf of Common Cause and two DC voters, Ruth Goldman and Chris Melody Fields, in late December.
As the filing notes, the Trump administration wants to obtain personal details about adults in DC and all 50 states "to build an unauthorized national voter database and to target voters for potential challenges and disenfranchisement."
The Republican administration has sued nearly half of US states plus DC in a bid to get their voter information.
"Handing over voter data without any parameters or protections in place is a huge violation of privacy and invites exactly the kind of errors that have historically led to eligible voters being wrongly purged or denied their right to vote."
Ethan Herenstein, staff attorney with the ACLU project, explained in a statement that "federal law does not authorize the Department of Justice to demand sweeping access to voters' most sensitive personal information."
"Handing over voter data without any parameters or protections in place is a huge violation of privacy and invites exactly the kind of errors that have historically led to eligible voters being wrongly purged or denied their right to vote," Herenstein warned.
Maryam Jazini Dorcheh, senior director of litigation at Common Cause, said that "voters in DC, and all voters, rightly expect the government to keep their personal information secure and only use it for its intended purpose of maintaining accurate records."
"We are committed to defending voters' rights and privacy in Washington, DC and nationwide, and this case is one of many where we are stepping in to ensure those protections are upheld," she continued.
The Trump administration's attempt to build a national voter database could be the catalyst for disenfranchising voters nationwide and putting our private data at risk.We're taking legal action to defend the states rightfully refusing to cooperate with the U.S. Justice Department's scheme.
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— ACLU (@aclu.org) January 6, 2026 at 11:29 AM
Demonstrating that commitment, Common Cause and the ACLU also partnered with attorneys from Law Forward and three Wisconsin voters—Melissa Adams, Amanda Makulec, and Jaime Riefer—on Thursday to file a motion to intervene in a similar suit the administration launched against the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC), which has refused to hand over vote data.
"If provided this data, the Justice Department could easily manipulate the data to spread disinformation about voting and attempt to baselessly target eligible voters and remove them from the rolls," said Ryan Cox, legal director at the ACLU of Wisconsin. "We've seen this play out in numerous other states, and there is no reason to believe that this administration wouldn't weaponize Wisconsinites' private data toward those same ends. We must prevent this federal power grab and protect our democracy from these corrupt partisan stunts."
Eric Neff, the acting chief of the DOJ's Voting Section, said in federal court last month that Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, and Wyoming—which all have Republican secretaries of state—have "complied voluntarily" with the department's data demand. He also said that several other states "have expressed with us a willingness to comply" based on an agreement called a memorandum of understanding (MOU) "that we have sent them." The DNC issued warnings to 10 of those states on Friday.
Daniel Freeman, the DNC's litigation director, sent letters to election leaders Alabama, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah "to address an imminent violation of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA)," pointing to Neff's comments about the MOU.
Specifically, the letter warns that the MOU's 45-day removal demand "has the potential to violate two provisions of the NVRA: the notice and waiting provision governing removal based on a suspected change in residence... and the quiet period provision barring systematic voter list maintenance in the months before a federal election."
"This letter does not constitute written notice of violations of the NVRA," Freeman noted. "Rather, the DNC sends this letter in the hope that the imminent violations set out above may still be avoided. Nonetheless, the DNC stands ready to issue a formal notice should evidence of ongoing violations come to light."
In a Friday statement, DNC Chair Ken Martin accused Trump and US Attorney General Pam Bondi of a "big government power grab" aimed at gathering "sensitive personal information like driver's license numbers, Social Security numbers, and party affiliation, opening the door to privacy concerns and further political retribution."
"The DNC won't stand idly by as the Trump DOJ tries to get access to voters' sensitive information and put eligible voters at risk of being wrongfully purged from voter rolls, which is why we are calling on secretaries of state and election officials across the country to stand up for voters and reject the Trump administration's illegal agreement," he said. "To be clear: Democrats stand ready to fight back and defend voters, and we're prepared to use the tools at our disposal to do so."
Some state officials have already publicly responded. Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen accused the DNC of "grandstanding" and said that he has no plans to sign an MOU but will send the state's registration list next month "unless barred by a court order," while a spokesperson for the Texas Secretary of State's Office told Votebeat and the Texas Tribune that the state sent its voter roll last month.
Others have been tight-lipped. The office of Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson—who gave the administration a public statewide voter registration list last year—told Deseret News on Friday that she doesn't have anything additional to add at this time. Mississippi Today reported that Secretary of State Michael Watson's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
TJ Lundeen, a spokeperson for the South Carolina Election Commission, told the Post and Courier that the agency's legal team is reviewing the DNC's letter. Lunden added that any deal with the DOJ will be presented and voted on during a public meeting.
Meanwhile, a DOJ spokesperson told Axios, which reported on the DNC letters, that "organizations should think twice before interfering in a federal investigation and encouraging the obstruction of justice, unless they'd like to join the dozens of states that are learning their lesson in federal court."
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson also weighed in, telling the outlet that "the Civil Rights Act, National Voting Rights Act, and Help America Vote Act all give the Department of Justice full authority to ensure states comply with federal election laws, which mandate accurate state voter rolls."
"President Trump is committed to ensuring that Americans have full confidence in the administration of elections, and that includes totally accurate and up-to-date voter rolls free of errors and unlawfully registered noncitizen voters," she added of the Republican leader who notably tried to cling to power after losing the 2020 presidential election.
The current fight over voter data dates back to Trump's controversial March executive order on US elections. In October, DC-based District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly permanently blocked the part that required proof of US citizenship on federal voter registration forms. The ACLU was also involved in that legal battle. Sophia Lin Lakin, director of the group's Voting Rights Project, welcomed the ruling as a "clear victory for our democracy."
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