Montana Court Upholds Youth Climate Activists' Victory
The Facts
Montana's Supreme Court on Wednesday delivered a 6-1 ruling upholding a lower court's decision in favor of 16 young climate activists who challenged state environmental policies.
The court affirmed that Montana residents, under a unique provision in the state constitution, have a "fundamental constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment," which includes a stable climate system.
The Held v. Montana lawsuit, filed in 2020, targeted a 2011 state law that prohibited consideration of climate impacts during environmental reviews for new energy projects. The lower court found this unconstitutional.
The Spin
Democratic narrative
There was little doubt these youth climate activists were in the right to sue — considering the state's constitutional right to a "clean and healthful environment" and the lower court's strong ruling. Even in a Republican-led state, the court proved it could remain independent of outside interests and help create a better future for today's youth.
Republican narrative
This court has gone off the rails. It's allowing a group of children to hamper the state's all-encompassing energy plan and opening the state up to a litany of baseless, costly lawsuits. There's no way to account for reducing harm to these kids and the court seems to argue against itself in its opinion. This shouldn't be taken seriously.
