A South Carolina judge appeared likely to put considerable stock in President Donald Trump’s actions to upend climate lawsuits as the court weighs a bid by the oil and gas industry to dismiss a case that would force fossil fuel giants to pay for the costs of global warming.
In a hearing Thursday, Circuit Judge Roger Young pointed to Trump’s executive order from last month that directs Attorney General Pam Bondi to take “all appropriate action” to stop roughly two dozen lawsuits by states and cities aimed at making the oil and gas industry pay for damages from storms, flooding and other disasters. It came after the judge took the unusual step in April of asking both sides in the case, filed by the city of Charleston, to give him their opinion on the effects that the executive order could have on the case.
“The president says in his order that these kinds of lawsuits weaken national security,” Young said Thursday during the hearing to consider the industry’s motion to dismiss the case.
The oil and gas industry has argued that the lawsuit raises national security concerns and should be barred under federal law.
