Legal Experts React To Supreme Court Showdown Over Climate Lawsuits

The Supreme Court appeared divided on Monday as it heard a dispute over whether Colorado localities, including the City of Boulder, can pursue oil companies in state court for local damage tied to climate change. Suncor Energy and ExxonMobil say federal law blocks such claims because they involve emissions that cross state lines and span the globe. The outcome could determine whether similar suits spread nationwide, according to Daily Caller.

Justice Samuel Alito stepped aside a week before the hearing, following scrutiny of energy investments held by him and his wife, so eight justices heard the case. A 4-4 tie would leave the Colorado Supreme Court's ruling in place, allowing Boulder's suit to continue without setting a national rule. Justice Amy Coney Barrett pressed the companies on the Clean Air Act, and her vote could prove pivotal. Justice Brett Kavanaugh questioned precedents on interstate pollution, and Chief Justice John Roberts worried that every city and county could file copycat suits.

Republican officials, including Utah Attorney General Derek Brown, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall and West Virginia Solicitor General Michael R. Williams, voiced confidence that Boulder cannot proceed. Brown described the case as an "energy tax dressed up in a fraud lawsuit."

Summarized by PolitiKool from Daily Caller’s reporting. Read the full story at Daily Caller →