9th Circuit shuts down Juliana climate lawsuit — again

By Lesley Clark | 07/16/2024 06:20 AM EDT

The decision is likely the end of the line for the landmark youth climate lawsuit.

Kelsey Juliana.

Kelsey Rose Juliana, the lead plaintiff in the historic youth climate case, Juliana v. United States. Steve Dipaola/AP

A West Coast federal appeals court will not revisit a youth climate lawsuit against the federal government, bringing a likely close to a nearly decade-old, groundbreaking legal challenge that spanned three presidential administrations.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday rejected a request for a larger slate of the court’s judges to reconsider a May ruling that quashed Juliana v. United States. The lawsuit had asked the courts to order the federal government to develop a plan to phase out fossil fuels and recognize the rights of U.S. citizens to a stable climate.

Without elaborating, the 9th Circuit said last week that no judges of the court voted to rehear the May decision and denied a motion to toss out the earlier ruling.

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The three 9th Circuit judges who decided the case in May — all of whom were appointed by former President Donald Trump — had ordered that Juliana be dismissed, finding that the courts “could not step into the shoes of the political branches” to provide the young challengers with the relief they sought.

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