“Seeking to quash this suit, the government bluntly insists that it has the absolute and unreviewable power to destroy the Nation,” wrote Judge Josephine Staton in a scathing dissent opinion. “My colleagues throw up their hands, concluding that this case presents nothing fit for the Judiciary.”

By Jon Queally, staff writer for Common Dreams. Published 1-18-2020

The 21 youth plaintiffs in the Juliana vs. United States lawsuit that was thrown out by Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday afternoon. Our Children’s Trust, which represents the plaintiffs in the case, has vowed to appeal the ruling. (Image: Our Children’s Trust, Facebook)

In a ruling taken as a devastating blow for climate campaigners worldwide, the 9th Circuit Court
of Appeals in the United States on Friday afternoon threw out a lawsuit brought by 21 youth plaintiffs who accused the U.S. government of failing its constitutional mandate by refusing to act urgently and responsibly to address the existential threat of human-caused global warming.

The case at issue, Juliana vs. United States, has been seen as a potential landmark case not just domestically but across the globe and while the three-member panel of the 9th Circuit—notably seen as one of the country’s most liberal-minded circuit courts—agreed with the plaintiff’s argument that the U.S. government has operated as a barrier to climate action it concluded the courts were not the appropriate avenue for their complaint. Continue reading →