Justice Alito recuses himself from major climate change case after complaints about his oil and gas holdings
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/File via CNN Newsource By John Fritze
(CNN) — Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito announced Monday that he will recuse himself from a major climate change-related case the court is set to hear next week, following weeks of pressure from environmental groups that argued he was compromised by his financial holdings in the oil and gas industry.
In a brief letter sent to the parties in the case, the Supreme Court’s clerk wrote that the conservative justice had “determined that he will not continue to participate in this case,” but did not offer further explanation for the decision.
The climate issue will be the first case argued at the Supreme Court as it opens its new term next Monday. It deals with whether Boulder, Colorado, may sue Suncor Energy and Exxon Mobil for damages caused by climate change, or whether state tort laws are preempted by federal law and separation of powers principles in the Constitution.
The court’s decision in that case could have broad implications for numerous other lawsuits filed by state and local governments seeking billions of dollars in damages for climate change.
It’s not clear whether Alito’s recusal will have a significant impact on the outcome of the case.
The 6-3 conservative Supreme Court has often divided in preemption cases in ways that don’t line up with traditional conservative-liberal positions. At the same time, the court has repeatedly ruled against environmental interests in recent years.
Alito’s decision is a stark development given the timing and the growing calls on the left for him to step down. The justice’s recent financial disclosure report showed that he held stock in ConocoPhillips and Phillips 66, among other energy holdings.
The decision also appears to represent an about-face from earlier this year, when a Supreme Court spokesperson told NBC News that Alito did not have to recuse from the case because he did not have a financial interest in any of the companies that are parties to it. “His recusal is not required,” the spokesperson told NBC in May.
The-CNN-Wire
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