Juliana v. United States
United States District Court for the District of Oregon
217 F. Supp. 3d 1224 (2016)
Juliana and other plaintiffs sued the federal government (defendant), alleging that decades of the government's environmental and energy policies caused climate change and rising seas, violating their fundamental due-process rights and the public trust doctrine. The complaint alleged that this conduct caused natural disasters, food shortages, and property destruction, and that the government failed in its duty to protect the atmosphere, water, seas, and wildlife. The government moved to dismiss the complaint for failure to state a claim.
Whether individuals have a fundamental constitutional right to a climate system capable of sustaining human life, such that a claim alleging the government substantially harmed that system states a cognizable due-process claim.