SCOTUS BEGINS NEW TERM WITH MAJOR CLIMATE CASE

The Supreme Court begins a new, nine-month term today. First up, a multibillion-dollar attempt to hold Exxon Mobil and Suncor Energy responsible for the ongoing climate crisis. The city and county of Boulder, Colorado, sued two energy companies in 2018, attempting to recover the cost of repairing infrastructure and providing access to public health services following fires and floods. Boulder argues the companies not only contributed to climate change but also misled the public about the role fossil fuels played in climate change. Dozens of cities and states have filed similar lawsuits against oil companies, which warn the litigation amounts to a carbon tax that could ultimately bankrupt the energy industry. In the coming weeks, the justices will also decide whether to take up President Trump’s defamation battle with magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll, his mass cancellation of federal research grants, the administration’s ban on transgender Americans serving in the military, and a Second Amendment challenge to bans on AR-15 rifles, among other cases. Correspondent Karin Caifa has the latest in a 3:30pET PKG with FREE custom tags.