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Civitas Outlook
Topic
Constitutionalism
Published on
Feb 24, 2026
Contributors
John Yoo
Michael Toth

State Courts Can’t Run Foreign Policy

Contributors
John Yoo
John Yoo
Senior Research Fellow
John Yoo
Michael Toth
Michael Toth
Research Director
Michael Toth
Summary

Suncor is also a golden opportunity for the justices to stop local officials from interfering with an industry critical to foreign and national-security policy.

Summary

Suncor is also a golden opportunity for the justices to stop local officials from interfering with an industry critical to foreign and national-security policy.

Listen to this article

The Supreme Court said Monday that it will review Suncor Energy v. County Commissioners of Boulder, a case testing whether state and local governments can sue oil and gas companies over alleged climate-related harms—effectively imposing their policies on the whole country. Suncor is also a golden opportunity for the justices to stop local officials from interfering with an industry critical to foreign and national-security policy. Liberal and conservative justices have long agreed to pre-empt states from undermining the federal government’s authority over foreign affairs.

Boulder and other local governments have sought to blame industry for worldwide emissions, the vast bulk of which—nearly 90%, according to the International Energy Agency—originate outside the U.S. The international share of global emissions has been growing for decades, a trend that’s likely to persist as the U.S. continues its transition from coal to less carbon-intensive natural gas and as energy access expands in the developing world.

Read the full article on the Wall Street Journal.

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