The Montana Supreme Court has scheduled oral arguments in the state’s appeal of the youth-led climate case Held versus Montana. On July 10 the court will hear from state officials and lawyers for the 16 youth plaintiffs who sued the state. They argue the state is failing to act on climate change.
A lower court ruled in favor of the young people last August, saying Montana’s constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment includes addressing climate change. The Supreme Court’s decision will be the final outcome of this case since it is predicated on the state constitution.
This decision will have implications both within Montana and the state’s Environmental Policy Act but also nationally as this is the first constitutional-climate litigation to have gone to trial in the U.S.
Similar youth-led cases are being pursued in other states and Montana’s ruling may contribute to the legal precedent for those cases.
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Legislators have voted forward bills on property tax relief, Medicaid expansion, judicial oversight and more. -
Policy that would change Montana’s bedrock environmental law will be taken up when lawmakers resume their work later this week. -
Press freedom and press access are at stake in the fight over the Gulf of Mexico's name. Legislators want to make sure you use the right bathroom. A climate change court ruling is behind several bills to change Montana's environmental laws. And Republican lawmakers join Vice President Vance in making fun of climate activist Greta Thunberg. -
A landmark Montana Supreme Court decision last year struck down laws passed by Republicans that would have changed Montana's bedrock environmental policy. Now, GOP lawmakers have introduced a suite of bills to undo the court's ruling. -
Hundreds of people rallied at the Capitol last week to ask state lawmakers to pass legislation to protect the environment for future generations. A state Supreme Court ruling last year forces state agencies to consider climate change, but some Republican lawmakers are pushing legislation that could challenge that order. -
In a first, the Montana’s ’s highest court last week affirmed that the constitutional right to a clean and healthy environment includes a stable climate. Although the decision could have future implications, it doesn’t drastically change environmental policy in the state right now.
