Barrett Rejects Sierra Club in First Opinion for Supreme Court

Justice Amy Coney Barrett issued her first majority opinion for the Supreme Court, a ruling that limits the ability of environmental groups to use the Freedom of Information Act to get government documents.

The 7-2 decision is a defeat for the Sierra Club in a clash stemming from a proposed Environmental Protection Agency rule governing structures that use water to cool industrial equipment. The group was seeking draft versions of so-called biological opinions issued by two other government agencies analyzing the impact on endangered species.

Amy Coney Barrett

Photographer: Chris Kleponis/CNP/Bloomberg

In her 11-page opinion, Barrett said the government doesn’t have to release materials ...