FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is probing the Washington, D.C.-based Environmental Law Institute (ELI) over its efforts to supply first-of-its-kind, climate-related training to federal judges nationwide.
Cruz on Friday despatched a letter to ELI President Jordan Diamond, demanding details about the group’s Climate Judiciary Project (CJP) and its work with former senior Biden administration official Ann Carlson. In the letter, he famous Carlson’s involvement within the improvement of the CJP and that the group shares funding streams with a legislation agency pursuing high-profile local weather litigation on behalf of states and cities nationwide.
“Although ELI claims that it gives ‘neutral, objective information to the judiciary about the science of climate change,’ [CJP] is meant to be a direct complement to the wave of climate change litigation initiated by the Carlson-connected law firm Sher Edling,” wrote Cruz, who serves as rating member of the Senate Commerce Committee. “Indeed, ELI knows the impact this litigation could have on the fossil fuel industry.”
“The Project’s funding and ties to plaintiffs in climate change cases further belie ELI’s claim of neutrality,” he continued.
TOP REPUBLICANS LAUNCH PROBE INTO LEONARDO DICAPRIO-FUNDED BLUE STATE LAWSUITS AGAINST BIG OIL
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks throughout a Senate Judiciary Committee listening to in Washington, D.C., on May 11, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc through Getty Images)
While Carlson — who served within the Biden administration between early 2021 and January, crafting rules concentrating on gas-powered automobiles on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — served on the group’s board of advisers, ELI established the CJP in 2018 to present “neutral, objective information” about local weather change litigation and making a curriculum particularly designed for federal judges, in keeping with their web site.
Overall, because it was based greater than 5 years in the past, the challenge has crafted 13 curriculum modules and hosted 42 occasions, whereas greater than 1,700 judges have participated in its actions, Fox News Digital beforehand reported. And a number of judges function advisers at CJP, probably having an affect on its curriculum and modules.
CONSUMER GROUP REVEALS LEFT-WING GROUPS INCREASINGLY USING COURTS TO PUSH GREEN NEW DEAL
For instance, Ronald Robie, an affiliate justice for the Third District of the California Courts of Appeal; Judge Michael Simon of the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon; and David Tatel, the lately retired former senior decide on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, have all acted as advisers for the challenge.
Madison Calhoun, the Environmental Law Institute’s senior supervisor of academic packages, introduces a June 2022 webinar on the Clean Air Act. (Environmental Law Institute/YouTube)
A assessment of an ELI coverage transient summarizing previous occasions signifies CJP has reached judges from throughout the first, 2nd, third, 4th and fifth federal circuits, a few of that are based mostly in New York City, Boston and Puerto Rico. The group additional boasts that it hosted a plenary session with roughly 100 judges in attendance on the annual mid-winter assembly of the Ninth Federal Circuit in 2019.
BILLIONAIRE-FUELED ROCKEFELLER FUND COORDINATED CLIMATE LAWSUITS WITH DEM STATE AG: INTERNAL DOCUMENTS
“More specifically, ELI states that ‘climate change litigation’ can ‘control, order, or influence the behavior of others in relation to climate governance,’” Cruz’s letter said. “Therefore, the ‘highest goal’ of ELI’s Project is ‘to help the judiciary as [it] build[s] a body of law that appropriately addresses climate change’ through climate change litigation. In other words, ELI intends to accomplish via the courts what it cannot get enacted into law: a radical environmental agenda.”
“While ELI claims the Project is ‘neutral’ and ‘objective,’ the Curriculum reads like a playbook for judges to find in favor of plaintiffs in artificial climate change cases against traditional energy companies,” Cruz continued.
Ann Carlson, a former senior official on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, beforehand served in roles for the legislation agency Sher Edling and the Environmental Law Institute. (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)
The Texas Republican additional famous CJP programs “show how climate science is built on long-established scientific disciplines” and “explore the human-caused component of [global] warming,” such because the “causal connections between emissions” and “changes in the climate.”
BIDEN OFFICIAL DOGGED BY ETHICS PROBE FACES KEY SENATE VOTE OVER TAXPAYER-FUNDED SALARY: ‘SERIOUS SCANDAL’
He additionally highlighted how CJP and Sher Edling — the California-based legislation agency pursuing local weather litigation towards main oil corporations on behalf of states and cities together with Rhode Island, New Jersey, Delaware, Minnesota, New York City, San Francisco, Baltimore, Chicago and Washington, D.C. — have shared a number of the identical workers.
While serving on ELI’s board of administrators, Carlson additionally offered professional bono consulting for Sher Edling on litigation towards oil corporations, monetary disclosures confirmed. Sher Edling counsel Michael Burger has additionally participated in a number of ELI occasions, and former Sher Edling lawyer Meredith Wilensky was beforehand an ELI Public Interest Law Fellow.
Vic Sher, a companion at legislation agency Sher Edling, speaks concerning the local weather litigation he’s concerned in throughout a digital panel in December 2021. Sher Edling is representing a number of states, cities and counties in litigation blaming oil corporations for world warming. (American Museum of Tort Law/YouTube)
And Sher Edling has obtained funding from left-wing teams just like the MacArthur Foundation and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, which have each funded ELI.
In an announcement to Fox News Digital, the ELI mentioned it’s reviewing Cruz’s letter, however reiterated that the group is nonpartisan and solely seeks to supply “unbiased, objective information” to judges.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“The Environmental Law Institute is an internationally recognized non-partisan research, publishing, and education organization that has been operating for over 50 years,” ELI spokesperson Nick Collins informed Fox News Digital in an announcement.
“The Climate Judiciary Project provides unbiased, objective information to judges about climate science and the law,” Collins mentioned. “We are currently reviewing Senator Cruz’s letter and will determine the appropriate response.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to Carlson and Sher Edling for touch upon Cruz’s letter.
