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Montana Supreme Court

Montana’s High Court Considers a Constitutional Right to a Stable Climate

The state’s Supreme Court heard oral arguments on an appeal of a decision that struck down a law supporting fossil fuel development. The ruling centered on a constitutional right to a healthy environment.

By Nicholas Kusnetz, Najifa Farhat

Nate King (aged 6) and Jeff King (aged 10), the youngest plaintiffs of the case, speak at a press conference held outside the Montana Supreme Court building in Helena on Wednesday. Credit: Najifa Farhat/Inside Climate News
Supporters gather at a theater next to the court house in Helena Montana to watch the court proceedings for the nation's first youth climate change trial in June 2023. Sixteen plaintiffs, ranging in age from 6 to 22, are suing the state for promoting fossil fuel energy policies that they say violate their constitutional right to a "clean and healthful environment." Credit: William Campbell/Getty Images.

Q&A: A Legal Scholar Calls the Ruling in the Montana Youth Climate Lawsuit ‘Huge’

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