A U.S. appeals court has ruled that the Constitution does not guarantee a right to clean drinking water, in a case involving alleged lead contamination in Jackson, Mississippi. Residents sued the city, arguing that officials allowed lead to enter the water supply and then falsely reassured people that it was safe to drink. The Fifth Circuit upheld the dismissal of their federal claims, saying the Constitution does not recognize the specific rights they were relying on under the Fourteenth Amendment. The ruling does not mean clean drinking water is unprotected by law, but says the residents cannot pursue these claims as constitutional violations under federal law. #usa #news #water #rights