August Newsletter: Youth Win Landmark Climate Case
Click here to view our August 2023 Newsletter, featuring this story and more.
On Monday, August 14, in an historic first, Judge Kathy Seeley in the First Judicial District Court of Montana ruled wholly in favor of the 16 youth plaintiffs in Held v. State of Montana, declaring that the state of Montana violated the youth’s constitutional rights including their rights to equal protection, dignity, liberty, health and safety, and public trust—all predicated on their right to a clean and healthful environment.
Mat dos Santos, general counsel and managing attorney for Our Children’s Trust, which represented the young people, said the ruling was a welcome affirmation of the experiences of his clients.
“It's a landmark ruling that finds that these youth plaintiffs have a constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment, and that right underpins all of their other foundational rights,” dos Santos said. “That's really important, not just for Montana, but really for the rest of the world as other courts in states and jurisdictions around the world look at this really critical question of, 'Can youth hold their governments accountable for climate change?'”
In a 103-page decision, Judge Seeley’s Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law, and Order set forth critical evidentiary and legal precedent for the right of youth to a safe climate.
