On August 21, 2014, the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) filed its Opposition to the Motion to Dismiss in its lawsuit against the United States in U.S. Federal District Court. The lawsuit, filed in April 2014, accuses the U.S. of breach of Article VI of the Non-Proliferation Treaty by continuing to engage in a nuclear arms race and a failure to negotiate for nuclear disarmament.
On the same day that RMI submitted its Opposition, three amicus curiae briefs were filed in support of RMI’s position. All of these organizations are part of the Nuclear Zero campaign to support the lawsuits filed by the Marshall Islands against all nine nuclear-armed nations.
Tri-Valley CAREs (TVC) argues in its amicus brief that the venue of Northern California is appropriate because the district contains Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), one of the United States’ two major sites for nuclear weapons research, design, development and modernization. TVC should know; they have been working since 1983 to clean up LLNL’s pollution and convert the lab to engage in socially beneficial activities.
Nuclear Watch New Mexico (NWNM) argues in its amicus brief that future funding levels for nuclear weapon modernization programs indicate that the U.S. is not committed to its NPT Article VI obligation. NWNM further argues that the United States is creating new military capabilities for U.S. nuclear weapons.
Pax Christi International, Physicians for Social Responsibility and International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War submitted a joint amicus brief. In it, they argue that the risk of nuclear catastrophe is substantial and that even a small regional nuclear war would put two billion people at risk of famine.