Example Image
Civitas Outlook
Topic
Politics
Published on
Aug 11, 2025
Contributors
Michael Toth

Climate Lawyers Try a New Approach

Contributors
Michael Toth
Michael Toth
Research Director
Michael Toth
Summary
Heatstroke killed Julie Leon on a 108-degree day. A lawsuit blames oil companies.
Summary
Heatstroke killed Julie Leon on a 108-degree day. A lawsuit blames oil companies.
Listen to this article

Stung by a recent losing streak in state courts, the foundations, academics and trial lawyers behind the climate lawfare movement are now trying a new tactic: wrongful-death lawsuits against oil and gas companies based on the alleged connection between carbon emissions and weather-related deaths. Such efforts won’t stop until the Supreme Court affirms the federal government’s exclusive regulatory authority over interstate emissions.

The leading such case, Leon v. Exxon Mobil, seeks to hold energy companies liable for the death of Julie Leon, who suffered heatstroke in her car in June 2021 after driving almost 100 miles without air conditioning on a day when temperatures hit a record-breaking 108 degrees in western Washington state. The complaint was filed in state court in May on behalf of Leon’s estate.

Continue reading at the Wall Street Journal.

10:13
1x
10:13
More articles

Adams’ Duplicitous Cabinet

Pursuit of Happiness
Mar 27, 2026

Trump's Overreach Against Harvard

Higher Education
Mar 26, 2026
View all

Join the newsletter

Receive new publications, news, and updates from the Civitas Institute.

Sign up
More on

Politics

National Civitas Institute Poll: Americans are Anxious and Frustrated, Creating a Challenging Environment for Leaders

The poll reveals a deeply pessimistic American electorate, with a majority convinced the nation is on the wrong track.

Politics
Feb 19, 2026
Liberal Democracy Reexamined: Leo Strauss on Alexis de Tocqueville

This article explores Leo Strauss’s thoughts on Alexis de Tocqueville in his 1954 “Natural Right” course transcript.

Raúl Rodríguez
Politics
Feb 25, 2025
Long Distance Migration as a Two-Step Sorting Process: The Resettlement of Californians in Texas

Here we press the question of whether the well-documented stream of migrants relocating from California to Texas has been sufficient to alter the political complexion of the destination state.

James Gimpel, Daron Shaw
Politics
Feb 6, 2025
Who's That Knocking? A Study of the Strategic Choices Facing Large-Scale Grassroots Canvassing Efforts

Although there is a consensus that personalized forms of campaign outreach are more likely to be effective at either mobilizing or even persuading voters, there remains uncertainty about how campaigns should implement get-out-the-vote (GOTV) programs, especially at a truly expansive scale.

Grant Ferguson, James Gimpel, Mark Owens, Daron Shaw
Politics
Dec 13, 2024

The Three Whiskey Happy Hour

Steven Hayward brings you the Power Line Blog's perspective on the week's big headlines.

View all
** items
A Bad Order for Rail

Michael Toth
Politics
Mar 23, 2026
States Shouldn’t Reap AI Benefits Without Bearing Costs

Kevin Frazier
Politics
Mar 21, 2026
The Latest AI Bill’s 5 Biggest Flaws

Kevin Frazier
Politics
Mar 19, 2026
Under Trump, Skilled Immigration Is Still Working Fine

If anything, America’s appeal is growing.

Joel Kotkin
Politics
Mar 3, 2026

US citizen takes over Mexican drug cartel, sparking legal debate

Politics
Mar 20, 2026
1:05

Does AI Require Expanded Federal Regulation to Safeguard the Public Interest?

Politics
Mar 16, 2026
1:05

Trump’s Iran Operation Is Legal, Just, and Overdue

Politics
Mar 3, 2026
1:05

‘Big Difference’ Between Investigating a Sitting and Former President: Ex-dDeputy Assistant AG

Politics
Mar 3, 2026
1:05

Richard Reinsch Warns of Escalating Political Retaliation as Debate Turns to Conservatism, Violence, and Executive Power

Politics
Feb 23, 2026
1:05
No items found.
No items found.
Parliament, Country, and Friendship

James Grant’s delightful Friends Until the End also has much to tell us about the character of statesmen and the power (and limits) of rhetoric.

Luke Foster
Politics
Mar 25, 2026
Why Can’t We Have a Real Filibuster?

The history of congressional reform is the history of unintended consequences.

Joseph Postell
Politics
Mar 24, 2026
The Ways, Means, and Ends of FDR

David Beito’s "FDR: A New Political Life" could have been subtitled "A New Political Death."

Paul Moreno
Politics
Mar 20, 2026
Mamdani’s Audacious Estate Tax for New York

It is up to cooler heads to see that Mamdani's wild ambitions can never be converted into law.

Richard Epstein
Politics
Mar 18, 2026
No items found.