Conservative Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito recused from a blockbuster climate case.
Oral arguments for Suncor Energy v County Commissioners of Boulder County are scheduled for next week.
The high profile case will determine whether state and local governments can sue oil companies for damages caused by ‘climate change.’
Alito previously refused to recuse himself from the case despite pressure from environmental groups over his holdings of stock in oil companies.
Justice Alito does not have a financial interest in any of the parties.
“Justice Alito has determined that he will not continue to participate,” the high court said.
Politico reported:
Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito is stepping back from a major climate argument just a week before the court is scheduled to take up the case.
Alito had faced calls to recuse himself from Suncor v. Boulder over his financial interests in energy companies.
A Monday letter from Scott Harris, clerk of the court, informed the parties that Alito “has determined that he will not continue to participate in this case.” The notice did not further explain his decision to sit out arguments Oct. 5, the first day of the court’s new term.
In the case, Colorado localities are seeking damages under state tort laws related to the effects of climate change. The suit named Suncor and ExxonMobil.
While Alito does not hold stock in those companies, he is invested in several other fossil fuel companies, including oil giants ConocoPhillips and Phillips 66. They are named in many lawsuits similar to Colorado’s that have been filed around the country. The future of those cases will be affected by the Supreme Court’s ruling in Suncor.
Ad block users: Some site features may not work correctly while an ad blocker is enabled, because they break scripts and content this website depends on. If you can’t see comments below, for example, please disable your ad blocker.
