(ConservativeSense.com) – Elizabeth Prelogar, the US Solicitor General, is under fire for reversing the government’s stance on climate change cases, which critics claim benefits the Biden administration’s political supporters.
Local governments are suing energy firms for climate change damages, including ‘Suncor Energy v. Board of County Commissioners of Boulder County’. In her petition to the Supreme Court, Prelogar argued that the matter should be considered in liberal state courts since a change in administration forced the government to reconsider its stance.
The shift is crucial because activists want the lawsuit tried in state courts, where judges appointed by Democrat governors may be more sympathetic to their allegations, opponents say. Former President Trump’s DOJ stated claims related to climate change are federal.
‘Alliance for Consumers’ executive director O.H. Skinner said the reversal is another instance of politically appointed officials at DOJ inverting established rules to help Biden’s leftwing political supporters. Skinner argues the Biden administration’s trial lawyer flip-flop benefits environmental activists and Democrat-funded organizations.
Skinner said Biden’s DOJ has repeatedly defied Supreme Court precedent on preemption and jurisdiction, benefiting Biden’s allies, the trial lawyers. Trial attorneys provide 99% of the contributions from federal politicians to Democrats. The top eight law firms donated almost $4 million to the presidential campaign for Biden. Skinner maintained that consumers or the ‘rule of law’ lose from this conduct. Only the president’s trial allies win.
The Attorney General of Indiana, Todd Rokita, said the switch proves the solicitor general’s position has become political. For decades, lawyers nominated by presidents from either party have upheld this stance, including liberal Democrats who campaigned on climate change.
He said activists want to preserve their claims in their preferred state courts since federal judges will reject them. In an argument filed by Rokita’s office, sixteen states opposed this change. According to precedent, federal law ought to regulate this and comparable instances.
Suncor Energy raised similar claims in its brief last week, accusing the government of trying to impress political allies who are driving these litigations. This Court has seldom witnessed a more cynical shift.
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