Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 1 of 1
Full-Text Articles in Law
Awards Of Attorneys' Fees To Nonprevailing Parties Under The Clean Air Act—Ruckelshaus V. Sierra Club, 103 S. Ct. 3274 (1983), Ingrid Holmlund
Awards Of Attorneys' Fees To Nonprevailing Parties Under The Clean Air Act—Ruckelshaus V. Sierra Club, 103 S. Ct. 3274 (1983), Ingrid Holmlund
Washington Law Review
The Clean Air Act (the Act) provides that in a suit for judicial review of an agency action under the Act, "the court may award costs of litigation (including reasonable attorney and expert witness fees) whenever it determines that such [an] award is appropriate." In Ruckelshaus v. Sierra Club, the United States Supreme Court held that this language permits an award of attorneys' fees only to parties who prevail on the merits. In a footnote, the Court extended its holding to sixteen other statutes with identical provisions. This Note will evaluate the soundness of the Supreme Court's holding in Ruckelshaus. …