The US Supreme Court on Tuesday chose not to hear a petition from young climate activists who had argued that the federal government's role in climate change violated their constitutional rights.
This decision marks the conclusion of a legal battle that began in 2015, when 21 plaintiffs, the youngest being 8 years old, filed the case. They claimed that the U.S. government’s actions, which supported a fossil fuel-driven economy, breached their right to a life-sustaining climate.
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The case, known as Juliana v. United States, named one of the activists, Kelsey Juliana, and faced repeated opposition from the Obama, Trump, and Biden administrations. The government’s lawyers contended that the case sought to change federal environmental and energy policies through the courts instead of the political process.
Julia Olson, the chief legal counsel for Our Children’s Trust, the nonprofit representing the plaintiffs, said the lawsuit’s influence “cannot be measured by the finality of this case alone.” She noted that Juliana had sparked a global youth-led climate movement that continues to grow, empowering young people to demand their constitutional right to a safe climate and future. "We’ve already secured important victories, and we will continue pushing forward,” she said.
The plaintiffs sought a court trial to determine if the U.S. government violated their fundamental rights to life and liberty by supporting a fossil fuel-based energy system. After years of legal proceedings, in 2018, the case was almost brought to trial, but it was halted by U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts just days before it began. In 2020, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed the case, stating that decisions about national climate policy should be made by politicians, not judges. However, U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken in Oregon allowed the activists to amend their lawsuit, ruling that it could go to trial.
In 2024, following a request from the Biden administration, a three-judge panel from the 9th Circuit ordered Judge Aiken to dismiss the case, which she did. The plaintiffs then attempted, unsuccessfully, to revive the lawsuit by petitioning the U.S. Supreme Court.
In response to the latest developments, Our Children’s Trust is now preparing a new federal case based on the same constitutional principles as the Juliana case.
The plaintiffs, who are now aged between 17 and 29, have continued their climate advocacy in various ways. Many are still in university, and about half are from Oregon. Some of the key plaintiffs include Juliana, who became a primary school teacher; Alex Loznak, who is now an environmental and immigration lawyer; and Nathan Baring, who runs a reindeer herding association in Alaska. Baring commented that this was not the end, stating, “We’re part of a wave.”
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Miko Vergun, a plaintiff born in the Marshall Islands, is focused on ensuring the survival of her homeland. She recently graduated from Oregon State University with a degree in cultural anthropology. Vergun expressed that although the Supreme Court’s decision wasn’t what they had hoped, there had been "many wins along the way," adding, “We’ve shown the world that young people will not be ignored.”
Our Children’s Trust has initiated climate legal actions on behalf of young people in all 50 states, with active cases in Florida, Utah, and Alaska. In December 2024, the Montana Supreme Court upheld a historic ruling that the state was violating residents' constitutional rights by allowing fossil fuel projects without considering their impact on global warming. In Hawaii, a settlement was reached with 13 youth plaintiffs, requiring the state government to achieve zero emissions in its transportation system by 2045.
Internationally, the Oregon case has inspired over 60 youth-led climate lawsuits worldwide.