In what could be the most consequential environmental case before the U.S. Supreme Court in decades, major law firms have shared their expertise on both sides even though there is a chance that the case may wash out with no final ruling on its merits.

In West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency, and three cases joined with it, major law firms, primarily from the Washington, D.C.-area, represent petitioners, respondents and friends-of-the-court in 18 of the 43 total briefs filed. The remaining counsel come from state attorneys general offices, legal organizations, environmental groups, and law school environmental and Supreme Court clinics.