shikada

July 7, 2021Attorneys General in New York & Five Other States File Brief in Support of Juliana v. United States While Plaintiffs Oppose Attempt By Republican Coalition to Intervene
no lnxFor immediate release July 7, 2021Contacts:Julia Olson, 415-786-4825, julia@ourchildrenstrust.orgAndrea Rodgers, 206-696-2851, andrea@ourchildrenstrust.orgPhilip Gregory, 650-278-2957, pgregory@gregorylawgroup.comFor interviews with youth plaintiffs, email beth@ourchildrenstrust.orgAttorneys General in New York & Five Other States File Brief in Support ofJuliana v. United States While Plaintiffs Oppose Attempt By RepublicanCoalition to Intervene
EUGENE, Ore. – Attorney General Letitia James of New York on Tuesday filed a “friendof the court” brief in support of the landmark constitutional climate case Juliana v. UnitedStates, spearheading a wave of support from states that also include Delaware  JENNINGS, ELLISON Hawai‘i,http://ag.hawaii.gov/ SHIKADAMinnesota,ELLISON 
 Oregon, <span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-weight: 600; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: DDG_ProximaNova, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_0, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_1, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_2, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_3, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_4, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_5, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_6, "Proxima Nova", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, "Segoe UI", "Nimbus Sans L", "Liberation Sans", "Open Sans", FreeSans, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(73, 73, 73); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Attorney<span style="color: rgb(73, 73, 73); font-family: DDG_ProximaNova, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_0, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_1, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_2, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_3, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_4, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_5, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_6, "Proxima Nova", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, "Segoe UI", "Nimbus Sans L", "Liberation Sans", "Open Sans", FreeSans, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> General Ellen F. Rosenblum <span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-weight: 600; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: DDG_ProximaNova, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_0, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_1, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_2, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_3, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_4, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_5, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_6, "Proxima Nova", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, "Segoe UI", "Nimbus Sans L", "Liberation Sans", "Open Sans", FreeSans, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(73, 73, 73); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Oregon's<span style="color: rgb(73, 73, 73); font-family: DDG_ProximaNova, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_0, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_1, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_2, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_3, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_4, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_5, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_6, "Proxima Nova", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, "Segoe UI", "Nimbus Sans L", "Liberation Sans", "Open Sans", FreeSans, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> 17th <span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-weight: 600; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: DDG_ProximaNova, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_0, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_1, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_2, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_3, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_4, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_5, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_6, "Proxima Nova", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, "Segoe UI", "Nimbus Sans L", "Liberation Sans", "Open Sans", FreeSans, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(73, 73, 73); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Attorney<span style="color: rgb(73, 73, 73); font-family: DDG_ProximaNova, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_0, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_1, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_2, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_3, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_4, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_5, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_6, "Proxima Nova", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, "Segoe UI", "Nimbus Sans L", "Liberation Sans", "Open Sans", FreeSans, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> General A former federal prosecutor and state trial and appellate judge, Ellen Rosenblum was first elected to a four-year term as <span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-weight: 600; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: DDG_ProximaNova, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_0, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_1, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_2, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_3, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_4, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_5, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_6, "Proxima Nova", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, "Segoe UI", "Nimbus Sans L", "Liberation Sans", "Open Sans", FreeSans, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(73, 73, 73); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Oregon's<span style="color: rgb(73, 73, 73); font-family: DDG_ProximaNova, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_0, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_1, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_2, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_3, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_4, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_5, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_6, "Proxima Nova", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, "Segoe UI", "Nimbus Sans L", "Liberation Sans", "Open Sans", FreeSans, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> 17th <span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-weight: 600; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: DDG_ProximaNova, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_0, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_1, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_2, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_3, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_4, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_5, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_6, "Proxima Nova", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, "Segoe UI", "Nimbus Sans L", "Liberation Sans", "Open Sans", FreeSans, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(73, 73, 73); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Attorney<span style="color: rgb(73, 73, 73); font-family: DDG_ProximaNova, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_0, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_1, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_2, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_3, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_4, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_5, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_6, "Proxima Nova", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, "Segoe UI", "Nimbus Sans L", "Liberation Sans", "Open Sans", FreeSans, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> General in November, 2012. She was re-elected to a second term in 2016 and to a third term in 2020.
and Vermont.TJ DONOVAN <a href="https://ago.vermont.gov/">https://ago.vermont.gov/</a>
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attorney_General_of_Delaware<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathy_Jennings" title="" style="color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none rgb(176, 206, 255); font-size: 14px;">Kathy Jennings</a>In their amici curiae motion, the six Democrat-led states noted that thewide-ranging effects of climate change -- “including the costs of combating risingsea levels, health risks posed by rising temperatures, and threats to States’ foodand water supplies, among others -- implicate far broader quasi-sovereigninterests in the health and well-being of state residents than those noted byproposed intervenors.”Also on Tuesday, attorneys from Our Children’s Trust, which represents the 21 Julianayouth plaintiffs, filed a brief opposing an earlier attempt by Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas,Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, NorthDakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia to join theBiden administration in defending the case. 
In June, the coalition of Republicanattorneys general said it wants to “participate in settlement negotiations” to “object toany proposed settlement” and threatened to go all the way to the Supreme Court tokeep the youths’ case from going to trial.In their filing opposing the attempt by some Republican-led states to intervene, theplaintiffs’ attorneys point out that those 18 states are suffering billions of dollars inlosses related to climate impacts from extreme heat, sea level rise, and extreme stormevents, and any economic losses to the fossil fuel sector are far outweighed by severeeconomic harm from the climate crisis.“What the 18 Republican attorneys general seek is unprecedented,” said JuliaOlson, chief legal counsel of Our Children’s Trust. “They want to be allowed tocome into the case to fight the youth and prevent their claims from going to trial orbe resolved through settlement, but they refuse to waive their sovereign immunityunder the U.S. Constitution, which means they would not be subject to any ordersof the federal courts. They essentially want status as interlopers, with all theprivileges to participate as a party-defendant and fight these kids, but with noresponsibility or accountability. What they seek only hurts children in their ownstates too.”The Juliana constitutional rights lawsuit, filed in 2015, argues that affirmative actions bythe federal government under both political parties directly contributed to the climatecrisis – including creating a national fossil fuel-based energy system that is a substantialfactor in causing the plaintiffs’ injuries. By doing so, the plaintiffs argue, the governmenthas knowingly violated their constitutional rights to life, liberty and property, the publictrust, and equal protection of the law.
The Juliana plaintiffs’ amended complaint -- which the coalition of Republican attorneysgeneral is attempting to block -- is focused on winning a declaratory judgment that thenation’s fossil fuel-based energy system is unconstitutional, much like the plaintiffs inBrown v. Board of Education argued the public school system of segregation wasunconstitutional.In June U.S. District Court Judge Ann Aiken ordered attorneys for plaintiffs and for theDepartment of Justice to meet for a settlement conference with Magistrate JudgeThomas Coffin, calling it “a tremendous opportunity” to address the climate “crisis” andnot just a “ministerial step.” Those talks are underway.
If Judge Aiken grants the motion to amend, and the settlement process is unsuccessful,the case would be able to move forward in the trial court on the question of whether thefederal government’s fossil fuel-based energy system, and resulting climatedestabilization, is unconstitutional.