US Judge rejects Trump Administration bid to block Hawaii Climate Lawsuit

A federal judge dismissed on Wednesday a lawsuit filed by the Trump administration to stop Hawaii from filing a climate change lawsuit in state court against fossil fuel companies. The judge cited a "longstanding policy" that prohibits federal interference in state court proceedings.

This is the second time that federal courts in 2026 have blocked efforts by the U.S. Department of Justice to stop climate change lawsuits in state courts. In January, a different federal judge dismissed a similar lawsuit that attempted to prevent the state of Michigan suing major oil companies.

The Justice Department and the Hawaii Attorney General's Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.

In April 2025, the Justice Department sued Hawaii and Michigan to prevent them from suing major oil companies for climate change. The administration claimed that such a lawsuit would "endanger domestic energy production".

Hawaii filed a lawsuit against BP, Chevron and ExxonMobil a day after the suit was filed. The companies were accused of selling products that would heat the planet.

Gillmor ruled the Justice Department had no standing to sue Hawaii, because its case was too speculative. Gillmor's opinion stated that the Justice Department "attempt" to predict the result of a pending lawsuit and how it could potentially harm the federal government is not a concrete injury. Reporting by Karen Sloan, Editing by Kevin Buckland

(source: Reuters)