The Supreme Court’s new term began with a major climate change case. Gun rights, immigration and religious liberty cases are also on the docket.
The U.S. Supreme Court opened its new term Monday with a major case testing whether energy companies can be sued in state court over climate change, the first of several high-profile disputes the justices will consider this term covering gun rights, immigration and religious liberty. The court heard an appeal from energy companies, including Suncor Energy and ExxonMobil, seeking to block lawsuits filed by the city and county of Boulder, Colorado, that aim to hold the industry financially responsible for damages linked to climate change.
The companies argue that climate litigation in state courts is not the proper venue to address what they describe as a global issue, a position backed by the Trump administration, which contends the lawsuits represent an improper attempt to impose emissions regulations through the court system. Boulder officials argue the industry should help shoulder the escalating costs of climate-related disasters. Billions of dollars are potentially at stake depending on the outcome.
Later in the term, the court will take up a challenge to state bans on semiautomatic rifles such as AR-15s, which roughly a dozen states currently prohibit; that case is scheduled to be heard in December. Opponents of the bans argue they violate the Second Amendment, pointing to the weapons’ widespread ownership, while supporters say the firearms are disproportionately linked to mass shootings. The conservative-majority court has expanded gun rights in recent years, and several justices had signaled interest in eventually taking up the issue. The court will also hear two immigration cases with significant implications for the Trump administration’s deportation and mandatory detention policies, along with religious liberty cases involving Catholic preschools.
This report is based on information from the Associated Press (via KRMG and ClickOnDetroit), NPR, NBC News and CBS News.