The U.S. Supreme Court has stepped into one of the most closely watched climate liability disputes in the country, agreeing to hear a case that could determine whether state and local governments can use state law to pursue damages from major energy companies over the effects of global greenhouse gas emissions.
According to the official docket, the petitioners, including Suncor Energy and ExxonMobil, asked the Court to review a May 2025 decision by the Colorado Supreme Court that allowed state-law claims brought by Boulder County and the City of Boulder to proceed in state court.
In their petition, the companies argued that federal law precludes state-law claims seeking relief for injuries allegedly caused by interstate and international greenhouse gas emissions and their effects on the global climate. The petition asserts that such claims implicate federal statutory schemes and constitutional principles.
Court records show that several outside groups, including the federal government, filed briefs urging the justices to take up the case, with the Supreme Court agreeing to hear the case this week, although a date has not been set for oral arguments.
The underlying lawsuit was first filed in Colorado state court in 2018. The Colorado Supreme Court’s 2025 ruling rejected arguments that federal law required dismissal of the claims. The U.S. Supreme Court will now determine whether those state-law claims may proceed.
