I am just flabbergasted by this Supreme Court.
I am reading an article about a case brought by the City and County of Boulder, Colorado, against the oil companies Exxon Mobil and Suncor. I'll link the article at the bottom, but the gist of it is this:
Boulder is suing the oil companies under State Law for damages caused by Climate Change and for allegedly misleading the public about its dangers. Boulder and other counties have experienced devastating wildfires and floods, and have incurred additional costs to repair infrastructure.
The oil companies' position is that climate change is a national and international event and therefore outside state jurisdiction. They feel the case should be heard in federal court.
(Well, the Supreme Court fits that description.)
The Supreme Court Justices ask the attorneys various questions to help them decide the case.
Chief Justice John Roberts, one of the court's conservatives, wondered how many more cities and counties would launch similar lawsuits if the court allows the Boulder case to continue.Why does that matter? Shouldn't the Chief Justice be more concerned with what the law says than with what will happen if they decide one way or another?
If the law says this is how it is, then the consequences should fall where they will. Why does it matter if the impoverished oil companies have to pay billions of dollars for misleading the public about their product?
And then we have:
The proxy war over the issue has also focused attention on a chapter about climate science in a reference manual for federal judges. It was abruptly withdrawn this year after conservatives alleged the authors had a conflict of interest. Some also called for Kagan to recuse herself in Monday's case because she wrote a foreword to the manual. She later said she did not even read the climate chapter.She wrote the Foreword for a reference manual for federal judges, but didn't read it.
Maybe the people writing the reference manuals and the people using them should read them.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/new-supreme-court-term-begins-climate-change-case-seeking-hold-energy-rcna600247 🔗
