A district court judge in Montana handed down a landmark decision Monday, ruling that the state violated its own Constitution by failing to consider fossil fuels’ contribution to climate change.
Sixteen young people sued the state over its promotion of fossil fuel-based energy, saying it violates their right to a clean and healthful environment under the Montana Constitution.
Their case was the first of several youth-led lawsuits against states for failing to address climate change to go to trial.
In a ruling Monday, Lewis and Clark District Court Judge Kathy Seeley sided with the plaintiffs and struck down portions of state law that forbid the state from considering the impacts of greenhouse gasses and climate change in environmental policy and assessments.
Seeley wrote the state failed to prove “any compelling governmental interest” to uphold the laws, and that they’re contributing to the depletion and degradation of Montana’s environment.
Our Children’s Trust, which represents the young plaintiffs in the case, said in a statement the ruling “marks a turning point” in efforts to mitigate climate change. Kian Tanner, an 18-year-old plaintiff from Bigfork, said he hopes the ruling will encourage others to make their voices heard.
“It’s truly incredible. This is just the first step towards climate action and creating a stable climate for future generations to live in,” Tanner said.
A spokesperson for Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen called the ruling absurd, saying Montanans can’t be blamed for changing the climate. The state will appeal the decision to the Montana Supreme Court.
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The nation’s first youth-led constitutional climate trial ended Tuesday in Helena.
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Montana officials made their case today in the first-of-its-kind climate trial underway in Helena. The trial could end earlier than expected after the state pulled one of their key witnesses.
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The only youth climate change lawsuit to make it all the way to trial is underway in Montana.
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The country’s first constitutional climate trial, taking place in Helena, has reached its halfway point. Youth plaintiffs in Held v. Montana are suing the state over its energy policies, claiming they violate the kids’ state constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment by worsening global warming.
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Monday marked the start of a two-week, youth-led climate case in Montana — the first of its kind to go to trial in the nation.
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Sixteen young people who say the state isn’t doing enough to address climate change will get their day in court Monday. Their lawsuit argues that lack of action violates their right to “a clean and healthful environment” under Montana's Constitution.
