Trump Justice Department Seeks to Block Minnesota Climate Case Against Oil Industry
The Trump Justice Department is asking a federal court to stop Minnesota from pursuing a climate lawsuit against major fossil fuel interests, escalating a fight over whether states can use consumer-protection laws to target alleged climate deception by the oil industry.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed the underlying case in 2020 against ExxonMobil, Koch Industries and the American Petroleum Institute. The state says the companies misled residents about climate-change risks tied to fossil fuels. DOJ says Minnesota is trying to regulate global greenhouse gas emissions and interfere with federal energy policy.
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The move drew fast reaction from climate accountability groups, including the Center for Climate Integrity, which framed DOJ’s lawsuit as an effort to shield Big Oil. Industry-aligned Energy In Depth argued Minnesota’s case is part of a coordinated climate-litigation campaign that intrudes on federal authority.
The stakes are practical. If DOJ succeeds, Minnesota’s case could be delayed or blocked before discovery; if it fails, the state’s lawsuit could keep moving toward evidence-gathering.
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