The U.S. Supreme Court this morning opted out of providing guidance on whether climate lawsuits against energy companies should progress in federal court, thereby allowing them to continue on their paths to state courts across the country. Importantly, the plaintiffs in these cases face an uphill battle, as every climate suit that has been heard on the merits
Read More...With the Supreme Court’s decision on whether it will review the jurisdictional question present in Colorado municipalities’ climate lawsuit expected as soon as Monday, legal scholars, former legislators, and attorneys general are encouraging the high court to take up the case and prevent climate suits from moving forward in state courts. The experts agree: allowing dozens
Read More...The climate litigation campaign faces a pivotal moment this Friday when the U.S. Supreme Court will discuss whether it will review a key jurisdictional question that has defined the cases for years, with an announcement on their decision expected as soon as Monday. As reported by E&E News, this is “a venue dispute with huge consequences” as it
Read More...This blog is the second in a three-part series highlighting new revelations in New Jersey that shed further light on the climate litigation campaign. Read the first blog on CCI’s entrenchment at the local level here. Just weeks after being confirmed by the state legislature in October 2022, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin’s first
Read More...Energy companies shot back at the Biden administration’s decision to side with cities and states suing the industry over climate change last week, calling the federal government’s 180 move to support state jurisdiction “shot through with flaws” and driven by “a desire to signal virtue to political bedfellows,” as E&E News reports. The administration’s Solicitor General, at the order of the
Read More...Last week, Fox News reported that Ann Carlson – former UCLA environmental law professor and a primary fundraiser for climate lawsuits – has been nominated by President Biden to serve as Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Carlson’s nomination is before the Senate Commerce Committee, where her transportation safety record – or lack
Read More...Earlier this month, the New Hampshire House of Representatives voted against a measure that would have encouraged state leaders to sue American energy companies over climate change damages. The effort appears to have been coordinated by the Center for Climate Integrity, the activist group working behind (and in front of) the scenes to drive similar litigation across the
Read More...As petitions asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review whether climate lawsuits against American energy companies belong in federal or state court continue to stack up, a federal appellate judge has called on the high court to get involved. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit issued a long-anticipated ruling on the jurisdictional question yesterday in Minnesota’s climate lawsuit. And
Read More...This blog is the first of a three-part series highlighting new revelations in New Jersey that shed further light on the climate litigation campaign. Recently obtained emails reveal the playbook for activist group Center for Climate Integrity (CCI) and its extensive actions behind the scenes in New Jersey municipalities to recruit, support, and initiate climate
Read More...Supreme Court must now decide whether to follow the law and protect consumers – or follow politicized opinion handed down by Biden DOJ On Thursday, the Biden administration’s Department of Justice (DOJ) issued its long-awaited amicus brief on whether the Supreme Court should rule on a core jurisdictional question in the City and County of
Read More...Two of the main drivers of the #ExxonKnew campaign are back with yet another study, this time crediting the company for being on target with climate model predictions. These are claims that activists have seized on for years, going back to at least 2019, so the report mentions very little new information and even acknowledges
Read More...On Wednesday, President Biden will travel to Colorado to attend an event at Camp Hale with Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and other elected officials where he is expected to designate a new national monument and to tout the Colorado Outdoor Recreation Economy Act. But the timing of the visit is interesting given that the greatest
Read More...Three years ago, when the City and County of Boulder and the County of San Miguel introduced its climate lawsuit, the municipalities’ elected leaders made it unmistakably clear that their case was solely about seeking damages to pay for the costs associated with climate change. As it turns out, that’s not exactly true. During a
Read More...Texas Governor Greg Abbott has urged his state’s Supreme Court to accept a case that seeks to look into constitutional violations and conspiracy potentially committed by environmental plaintiffs’ attorney Matt Pawa and several California municipal officials suing energy companies for their alleged responsibility for climate change impacts. On Thursday, Governor Abbott filed an amicus brief supporting ExxonMobil’s effort to overturn a Texas appellate
Read More...New documents uncovered through an open records request provide fresh details about the millions of dollars a San Francisco law firm stands to gain if it prevails in a controversial climate lawsuit targeting oil and gas companies. These revelations raise even more questions about the Minnesota attorney general’s mysterious engagement with this particular law firm
Read More...