The Centre for Law and the Environment’s four-part series, In Their Own Words: Plaintiffs and Their Lawyers Speak About Leading Youth Climate Cases, covers four leading cases from Canada and the US in which youth are demanding climate accountability and action from their government. Each session in the series will delve into a particular case and attendees will get to learn about the case from one of the youth plaintiffs and one of their lawyers. The speakers will join virtually. Audience can join the session in person at Allard Hall (with free lunch included) or join the webinar virtually.
About Juliana v. US
In 2015, twenty-one young Americans filed a constitutional climate lawsuit against the US government, asserting that, because of the government’s affirmative actions contributing to climate change, it has violated the youngest generation’s constitutional rights to life, liberty, and property and has failed to protect essential public trust resources. In 2016, rejecting the government’s motion to strike the claim, Judge Ann L. Aiken declared that “the right to a climate system capable of sustaining human life is fundamental to a free and ordered society.” Since then, the Department of Justice’s long string of attempts to dismiss and delay the case has meant that Juliana has yet to make it to trial. A June 2023 ruling put the case back on track, and in December 2023 Judge Aiken denied the government’s latest attempt to derail the case and ordered the parties to meet to schedule the case for trial. If this happens, it will be the first climate trial in federal court in U.S. history, following closely on the heels of the country’s first climate trial in state court, Held v. Montana–the subject of our previous webinar.
Please register to attend in person at Allard Hall or via Zoom.
This session is eligible for 1 hour of CPD credit.