Claudia Polsky

Judge orders Trump administration to restore more than $500M in UC research grants

Judge orders Trump administration to restore more than $500 million in research funds to UCLA

“This ruling in researchers’ favor is very consequential in this moment when the Trump Administration is applying maximum political pressure to UCLA,” said Claudia Polsky, director of the environmental law clinic at UC Berkeley and an attorney for the plaintiffs. “The effect of reinstating all unlawfully suspended NIH grants to UCLA would be to give campus and the regents the leverage they need to resist and to uphold the rule of law.”

Federal judge orders Trump to restore $500 million in frozen UCLA medical research grants

“This is wonderful news for UC researchers and should be tremendously consequential in ongoing UC negotiations with the Trump administration,” said Claudia Polsky, a UC Berkeley law professor who is part of the legal team behind the suit. 

Trump administration ordered to partially restore grants to UCLA after seeking $1 billion settlement

“Judge Lin readily understood that the suspension actions, like the prior terminations she had enjoined, unlawfully failed to contain grant-specific rationales for halting grants mid-stream,” said Professor Claudia Polsky. “NSF nowhere considered researchers’ reliance on the grants, nor the waste of public money from abandoning research prior to completion.”

Trump administration must restore hundreds of UCLA research grants, federal judge rules

“Hundreds of UCLA researchers can now get back into labs, into the field, and back on task,” said Claudia Polsky, a UC Berkeley law professor, who worked with UC Berkeley law school Dean Erwin Chemerinsky and San Francisco law firm Lieff Cabraser on the case.

Tech, Law, and Global Impact: 3L Dana Dabbousi Charts a Path Toward Sustainability at UC Berkeley Law

With a bevy of awards and other accolades, Dabbousi has made a meaningful impact  throughout the law school — from clinics and advocacy competitions to research centers and student organizations.

Heavy metals in retardant

Professor Claudia Polsky, director of the Environmental Law Clinic, weighs in on toxic heavy metals found in fire retardant gathered from the LA fires. “To me this situation is disturbing if unsurprising.”

California limits on ‘forever chemicals’ PFAS in products are effective, study says

Claudia Polsky, director of the Environmental Law Clinic at UC Berkeley School of Law, weighs in on findings of a study she co-authored on California limits on ‘forever chemicals’ saying “It suggests a tangible public health payoff from the state’s more stringent environmental regulations.” 

A California law has long required warnings for toxic chemicals. Researchers finally know if they work.

“It becomes incredibly important to evaluate whether the law is actually doing what it’s supposed to be doing,” says Claudia Polsky, study co-author and director of the Environmental Law Clinic at UC Berkeley School of Law, “which is reducing exposure to chemicals.”

Opinion: Orange, Black and Red Dye No.3: Halloween lessons for the FDA

“Halloween 2024 is a reminder that the Food and Drug Administration is long overdue for taking an obvious action to make the holiday less scary: banning artificial food coloring,” writes Claudia Polsky, director of the Environmental Law Clinic at the University of California Berkeley School of Law.

Stricter toxic chemical rules reduce Californians’ exposures

A new study, co-authored by Claudia Polsky, director of the Environmental Law Clinic at the University of California Berkeley School of Law, suggests California’s stricter regulations are reducing levels of BPA, PFAS and other harmful toxics in people.

Unique Auditor-Mentee Program Enriches Environmental Law Clinic and UC Berkeley Undergrads

Each year the Berkeley Law clinic welcomes up to three UC Berkeley undergrads, who immerse themselves in weekly classes and environmental projects with law students.

UN declares PFAS pollution in North Carolina a human rights violation

“The great thing about framing this accurately as a violation of human rights,” said Claudia Polsky, director of Berkeley Law’s Environmental Law Clinic, “is that framing is capacious enough to include stories about PFAS health harms, ecological harms, corporate responsibility, about lack of regulatory vigor, about inadequate legal remedies for people who are coming out injured.”

UN Probes DuPont, Chemours Over Human Rights Harms From PFAS

Claudia Polsky, director of Berkley’s Environmental Law Clinic, said it’s rare for the Human Rights Council to send allegation letters to a transnational corporation, rather than solely to national government. “We hope the UN’s action will induce shareholders to bring DuPont in line with international human rights law.”

North Carolina residents urge UN to investigate toxic PFAS pollution

If the UN human rights commission chooses to investigate, a special rapporteur would fact-check the allegations in the communication, then issue “pointed” allegation letters to regulators, Chemours and other culpable parties detailing problems and posing questions, said Claudia Polsky, director of UC Berkley Law Clinic.

Chemours Accused of Human Rights Violation at Chemical Plant

“The Special Rapporteur can’t compel any action,” said Claudia Polsky, director of UC Berkeley’s Environmental Law Clinic. “But if he decides to investigate the allegations and recommends the companies or agencies take any of the requested actions, the public attention often spurs alleged offenders to respond publicly.”

Timely Trio: Unique Environmental Law Topics Highlight Brand New Fall Semester Courses

The new offerings include Environmental Justice and Health Equity, Environmental Justice and Advocacy in California, and Environmental Health Law Through Film.

Ecology Law Quarterly Celebrates 50 Years of Publication — and a Powerhouse Community

The student-run journal sits at the pinnacle of the academic landscape, publishing groundbreaking environmental law scholarship four times a year. 

PFAS in waste spurs alarm over ‘poisoning,’ regulatory gaps

Professor Claudia Polsky, Director of the Environmental Law Clinic, comments on the clinic’s work to address toxic PFAS chemicals in America’s drinking water, describing them as “equal opportunity poisons.” 

Judge sends EPA to drawing board for new rules on oil spill cleanup products

Professor Claudia Polsky, director of the Environmental Law Clinic, discusses her clients’ successful federal suit to compel the EPA to update an oil spill contingency plan they said was woefully out of date