AALS Hot Topic Program

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This panel will discuss what has been described by Bill McKibben and Naomi Klein as “the most important lawsuit on the planet right now.” In 2015, twenty-one youth from across the United States, aged 8 to 19, filed a landmark constitutional climate change lawsuit against the federal government in the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon. Their complaint asserts that, due to policies contributing to climate change, the federal government has violated the youngest generation’s constitutional rights to life, liberty, property, as well as failed to protect essential public trust resources. On April 8, 2016, U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas Coffin denied the government and fossil fuel industry's motions to dismiss. This decision is now under review by U.S. District Court Judge Ann Aiken, who heard oral arguments on September 13, 2016, and noted that she expected to complete her opinion around mid-November. At the time of this writing (early November), the opinion has not yet been published. It should be hot off the presses at the time of AALS, which will be an exciting time to hear the lead attorney and scholars with expertise regarding the case discuss what to expect with this case in the coming year.