Navy sonar, cetaceans and the US Supreme Court: A review of cetacean mitigation and litigation in the US

► Several legal cases have been pursued in the US over concerns about the impacts of naval sonar during training exercises. ► Many of these cases expressed concerns that mitigation measures were not protecting whales - concerns often supported by the judiciary. ► One legal battle went to the US Supreme Court (Winter vs. Natural Resources Defense Council) but the effectiveness of mitigation was not addressed. ► This paper reviews these court cases and the additional mitigation measures proposed to protect whales.