US Supreme Court’s Alito won’t participate in climate case involving oil companies

US Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito will not participate in a forthcoming case that challenges oil companies for allegedly hindering climate change, according to a court official. Alito, who owns stock in several oil and gas firms, declined to withdraw his participation from the case, which is set to be heard on October 5. He had initially declined to recuse himself when the dispute reached the court in 2023.

Alito is one of the more conservative justices on the court, which currently has a 6-3 conservative majority. Lawyers for the oil companies and those representing Boulder, Colorado officials, who initiated the lawsuit against Exxon and Suncor in 2018, were notified of Alito's recusal on Monday via a letter from Scott Harris, clerk of the Supreme Court.

The court's decision could potentially determine the outcome of numerous state and local climate-related lawsuits against fossil fuel companies. Alito's financial disclosures reveal that he holds stock in ConocoPhillips and Phillips 66, which are defendants in related climate-related lawsuits. The new Supreme Court case will examine if federal law prevents certain claims under state law from being pursued for damages attributed to the consequences of greenhouse gas emissions.

The justices also need to decide if the court has jurisdiction to rule on the case at this stage. The Trump administration backed Exxon and Suncor, contending that federal law precludes Boulder's claims.