The youth climate lawsuit can move forward.
The constitutional case had been scheduled for U.S. District Court here in Eugene, Oct. 29, at the Wayne Morse Federal Courthouse, but the Trump administration asked for a stay.
The court found the stay unwarranted because the government can still seek relief from the 9th Circuit, writing, “At this time, however, the Government’s petition for a writ of mandamus does not have a ‘fair prospect’ of success in this Court because adequate relief may be available in the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.”
This is the second time a writ of mandamus has been denied in Juliana v. United States.
The 21 young plaintiffs of the Our Children’s Trust lawsuit, Juliana v. United States, filed the constitutional case in 2015 based on the public trust doctrine, arguing that if the government is causing harm to the climate system, it needs to be enjoined to stop that harm. The youths, now ages 10 to 21, filed against the federal government in the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon.
The case is one of several climate cases tackling global warming through the judicial system. Locally, the Civil Liberties Defense Center has taken on climate change through the necessity defense. And counties, cities and, more recently, states have sued, arguing fossil fuel companies are liable for the damages they have caused. In the most recent case, the state of New York’s Attorney General’s office sued ExxonMobil, alleging the fossil fuel giant defrauded its investors by “misleading them about the financial risks the company faced from climate change regulations.”
A new date for the youth climate suit has not yet been set.
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
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Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
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As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
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