On Monday, March 24, 2025, the United States Supreme Court declined to hear Juliana et al. v. United States of America, a lawsuit brought by 21 young people alleging climate-change related injuries due to the federal government’s adoption of policies related to fossil fuel extraction and consumption.
The U.S. Department of Justice has defended against this lawsuit across three presidential administrations since the case was first filed in 2015. At the time of filing, plaintiffs were between the ages of 8 and 19. The U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon initially agreed to hear the case. The Justice Department sought an interlocutory appeal with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The appeals court remanded the case and instructed the trial court to dismiss the case for lack of standing. The trial court permitted the plaintiffs to file an amended complaint, at which point the appeals court once again instructed the case to be dismissed. Plaintiffs then filed a petition for certiorari, asking the Supreme Court to hear the appeal.
In a press release, Acting Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson wrote that this denial of certiorari “brings this long saga to a conclusion. Through [the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division]’s work, the Justice Department is enforcing our nation’s environmental laws and safeguarding America’s air, water, and natural resources. Cases like Juliana distract from those enforcement efforts.”
Julia Olson, a lawyer representing Our Children’s Trust, the nonprofit law firm representing the plaintiffs in Juliana, stated that “[t]he Supreme Court’s decision today is not the end of the road and the impact of [Juliana] cannot be measured by the finality of this case alone.” Our Children’s Trust has filed multiple lawsuits alleging that state and federal governments exacerbate climate change. In Held v. State, the the Montana Supreme Court ruled that the Montana Supreme Court provides a right to a safe and livable climate. In Navahine v. Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation, a settlement was reached whereby Hawaii agreed to decarbonize its transportation system by 2045.
Additional Reading
US Supreme Court will not hear novel youth-led climate change case, Reuters (March 24, 2025)
Justice Department Statement on Juliana Case, U.S. Department of Justice (March 24, 2025)
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Dismisses Climate Change Lawsuit, Justia Legal News (January 22, 2020)
Plaintiffs Cite Supreme Court’s Abortion Decision as Support in Climate Change Lawsuit, Justia Legal News (October 12, 2022)
Juliana, et al v United States of America, et al (Case No. 6:2015cv01517)
Opinion in Juliana v. United States (Case No. 18-36082 (9th Cir. 2020))
Montana Supreme Court affirms landmark youth-led climate decision, upholding constitutional rights to a safe and livable climate, Western Environmental Law Center (December 18, 2024)
Office of the Governor – News Release – Historic Agreement Settles Navahine Climate Litigation, Office of the Governor, Governor Josh Green, M.D. (June 20, 2024)
Photo Credit: Jacob Lund / Shutterstock.com
