A person or organization has standing to sue when they are legally entitled to bring a case because they were directly affected by the dispute and the court can potentially remedy that harm.

Courts use standing as a gatekeeping rule. It separates people with a real stake in the outcome from those who simply disagree with a law, policy, or someone else's conduct. For example, a driver injured in a crash generally has standing to file a personal injury claim, while a bystander with no injury usually does not. The same idea applies in constitutional cases: someone challenging government action usually must show a concrete injury, not just a general objection. That injury can be financial, physical, property-related, or tied to a recognized legal right.

In practice, standing can decide a case before the facts are ever fully heard. If the wrong plaintiff files, the case may be dismissed even where the underlying complaint seems serious. In Oregon, courts have their own standing requirements, and the issue often turns on whether the plaintiff suffered or is likely to suffer a specific harm that a court order could address. That matters in accident-related cases too. After a landslide closure on US-101 or a smoke-related visibility crash, the person seeking damages must show their own loss and a link to the defendant's conduct. Without standing, there is no path to damages, injunctive relief, or other relief.