Highlights

• House Judiciary Committee probes the Environmental Law Institute over its Climate Judiciary Project training for judges.
• Lawmakers claim the programme could bias judges in climate lawsuits against fossil fuel companies.
• ELI defends the initiative, saying it provides nonpartisan, factual education on climate science and law.

Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee have opened an investigation into the Environmental Law Institute (ELI), questioning whether its Climate Judiciary Project (CJP) has tried to improperly influence judges handling climate-related lawsuits.

Committee Chairman Jim Jordan and other lawmakers sent a letter demanding that ELI reveal its funding sources and the names of the judges involved in its programme. They argue that the project “appears designed to bias judges” in favour of lawsuits against fossil fuel companies.

The Climate Judiciary Project, according to ELI, has provided training to over 2,000 state and federal judges. On its website, ELI describes the initiative as a nonpartisan educational programme that helps judges understand climate science and how it connects with the law.

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However, lawmakers dispute this neutrality, claiming that the experts chosen to train judges are linked to groups aligned with the decarbonisation movement. They also raised concerns about the anonymity of participating judges, saying defendants cannot fairly assess whether judges should recuse themselves from cases.

In response, ELI defended its work, saying that its programmes are similar to other judicial education efforts across the country.

The organisation insisted that the training provides evidence-based and factual information and does not advise judges on rulings or take part in any litigation. ELI also rejected the idea that the project is politically motivated, arguing that any claims of improper influence are “without merit.”

The committee has given ELI until September 12 to provide documents from 2019 onward, including details of external funding and a list of every judge who has participated in the training.

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Supporters of the investigation, including Jason Isaac of the American Energy Institute, argue that this step is necessary to uncover ties between climate activists and the judiciary. They believe taxpayers deserve judges who stay impartial, not ones influenced by activist agendas.

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Source: The Center Square