Young Citizens Prevail in Montana Climate Change Trial

In what experts are calling a precedent-setting legal decision, a Montana judge ruled in favor of 16 young Montana residents (ages 5-22) in their lawsuit against the State of Montana.

The suit charges that Montana state officials are in violation of the state Constitution which says that state agencies must maintain a “clean and healthful environment.” Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and New York are three states with similar environmental protections in their constitutions.

According to the Associated Press, District Court Judge Kathy Seeley found the policy the state uses in evaluating requests for fossil fuel permits—which does not allow agencies to look at greenhouse gas emissions—is unconstitutional.