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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The Montana Supreme Court has rejected a petition from young climate activists to strike down several environmental laws. -
A group of young Montanans are asking the state Supreme Court to overturn new laws that weaken the state’s ability to regulate planet warming emissions, and exclude some fossil fuel projects from environmental review. This filing comes a year after they won a landmark ruling over Montana's constitutional right to a "clean and healthful environment." -
After winning a landmark climate case at the state level last year, a group of young Montanans are taking the fight to the federal government. They presented their arguments to a judge in Missoula last week.
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A group of young people are suing the Trump Administration for prioritizing the use of fossil fuels - and driving up planet-warming emissions. The suit was filed Thursday morning in Montana’s federal court -
Sixteen young Montanan’s made headlines when they sued the state – and won – for failing to act on climate change. Republican state lawmakers lambasted the decision. They fast tracked a suite of bills during the 2025 legislative session to limit the ruling's impacts. -
Gov. Greg Gianforte Thursday signed into law a package of bills aimed at changing the state’s bedrock environmental policy. Lawmakers were eager to modify the policy following a landmark climate ruling in December.
