Supreme Court Rules For Navy, Against Environmentalists in Sonar Dispute

In its first decision of the current term, the Supreme Court decided in favor of allowing the US Navy to conduct sonar training exercises off the coast of California, despite the concerns raised by environmental groups over the safety of whales. The Navy will now be able to conduct "realistic training exercises to respond to potential threats by enemy submarines." Lower courts in California had imposed restrictions on the exercises, such as requiring that the Navy limit sonar use in the presence of marine mammals, at the urging of environmental groups, who argued that the sonar drills can cause devastating internal injuries to whales and other marine mammals. The Supreme Court found that national security interests outweighed the possible environmental impact and that the lower courts had overstepped their authority in imposing the limitations on sonar use. In his majority opinion, Chief Justice Roberts wrote that "overall public interest tip[s] strongly in favor of the Navy," finding that the possibility that marine mammals would be harmed was not of great enough concern to prevent the Navy from adequately training its fleet.