MT Judge Hands Historic Win to Young Plaintiffs in Climate Change Case

Montana is violating the rights of young people with policies that prohibit the state from considering climate change effects when it reviews coal mining, natural gas extraction and other fossil fuel projects, a state judge said Monday.

The decision by Judge Kathy Seeley in Helena marked a major victory in the first youth-led climate case to reach trial in the U.S. and could set an important precedent for similar cases nationwide.

The 16 plaintiffs sued Montana in 2020, when they were ages 2 to 18, claiming the state’s permitting of projects like coal and natural gas production exacerbated the...