Supreme Court Rebukes 19 Republican Attorneys General

The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a lawsuit from 19 Republican-led states seeking to block climate change lawsuits filed against the oil and gas industry by Democratic-led states.

The justices declined to hear the unusual Republican effort to challenge Democratic states for using their own courts to sue fossil fuel companies over allegations of misleading the public about the environmental risks of their products.

While the Supreme Court typically handles appeals, the Constitution allows it to hear original lawsuits between states. Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented, with Thomas arguing the court lacks discretion to reject the case at this stage, though his dissent did not address the lawsuit’s merits.

Led by Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, the Republican complaint claimed that Democratic states are attempting to dictate national energy policy, which could lead to increased energy costs nationwide.

The Supreme Court has also declined to intervene in separate appeals from energy companies seeking to challenge these lawsuits.

The lawsuits, filed by dozens of state and local governments, accuse fossil fuel companies of concealing the true impact of their products on climate change, citing damages from extreme weather events, wildfires, and rising sea levels. The Republican-led legal action specifically targeted lawsuits from California, Connecticut, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Rhode Island.

Republicans argue that only the federal government has the authority to regulate interstate gas emissions and that individual states lack the power to apply their own laws to global environmental issues.

Reporting by The Associated Press contributed to this article.

This is a developing news story and will be updated as more information is available.