03/11/2025

SCOTUS Rejects Effort to Halt Climate Lawsuits in Democratic-led States

Nineteen Republican attorneys general tried to block the lawsuits

On Monday, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) rejected a lawsuit from Republican attorneys general in 19 states aimed at blocking climate change suits against the oil and gas industry from Democratic-led states.

The justices acted on an unusual Republican effort to file suit in the Supreme Court over the Democratic states' use of their own state courts to sue fossil fuel companies for deceiving the public about the risks of their products contributing to climate change.

SCOTUS typically hears only appeals, but the Constitution gives the court authority to hear original lawsuits states file against each other. Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito said they would have allowed the lawsuit to proceed for now.

Please select this link to read the complete article from ABC News.