House Judiciary Report Says Climate Judiciary Project Trains Judges Toward Pro-Plaintiff Bias

A House Judiciary Committee probe into the Environmental Policy Institute’s Climate Judiciary Project concluded the training program is designed to bias judges handling climate-change lawsuits. The report says the project invites judges who may preside over such cases, presents content that predisposes them to rule for “radical environmentalists,” and fails to screen presenters for ties to active litigation. Documents reveal founder Paul Hanle’s correspondence with Sabin Center founder Michael Gerrard about securing a Supreme Court justice’s attendance and “back-channel” tactics to target specific judges.

The committee also identified links between the project and attorneys like Michael Burger of the Sabin Center and Roger Worthington, lead counsel for Oregon’s Multnomah County suit seeking $51 billion from energy firms. The institute rejected the findings, insisting its curriculum is evidence-based and does not direct judicial outcomes. The report warns that such influence threatens the impartiality of the U.S. judicial system.