TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Azya Thornton on Jun 17, 2026

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has moved to intervene in and dismiss a lawsuit filed by the NAACP and the Mississippi State Conference of the NAACP against Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI, according to the Commercial Appeal. The lawsuit alleges violations of the Clean Air Act related to the use of gas turbines at xAI’s Southaven, Mississippi, facility. In court filings, the DOJ argued that xAI’s Grok artificial intelligence model is important to national security and that disrupting operations at the company’s power plant could hinder the development of future AI systems. The motion also cites concerns raised by Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves that an injunction could negatively affect the state’s economy. The NAACP and the Southern Environmental Law Center, which represents the plaintiffs, criticized the filing, arguing it would undermine the public’s ability to challenge alleged environmental violations.