Law
Parens Patriae in State Litigation Against Federal Agencies
Quick fact
In 2007, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed Massachusetts to sue the EPA over greenhouse gas regulation, invoking a special form of parens patriae based on the state's ownership of coastal land, even though individual citizens could not have sued.
Why this is interesting
Could your state sue the federal government on behalf of you and every other resident, even if you've suffered no specific injury? The answer depends on a centuries-old doctrine called parens patriae.