Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 1 of 1
Full-Text Articles in Law
"No Ordinary Lawsuit": Climate Change, Due Process, And The Public Trust Doctrine, Michael Blumm, Mary Christina Wood
"No Ordinary Lawsuit": Climate Change, Due Process, And The Public Trust Doctrine, Michael Blumm, Mary Christina Wood
American University Law Review
On November 10, 2016, just two days after the election of President Donald Trump, the federal district court in Oregon handed down Juliana v. United States. This remarkable decision refused to dismiss a lawsuit brought by youth plaintiffs who claimed that the federal government's fossil fuel policies over the years, which have produced an atmosphere with dangerous levels of greenhouse gases (GHGs), violated the federal public trust doctrine (PTD) and their federal constitutional rights to due process and equal protection. The court found a constitutional right to a stable climate system, determining that the PTD was an implicit part of …