SW Kansas News

An environmental advocacy group, the Climate Judiciary Project (CJP), has removed and anonymized judges' names from its website following a report by Fox News Digital. CJP, founded in 2018 by the Environmental Law Institute, aims to educate judges on climate science and its legal implications. Republican lawmakers, including Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, have accused the group of attempting to influence judges to support climate litigation.

Fox News Digital previously reported on a forum hosted by CJP where judges shared climate-related legal updates with CJP leadership. The forum was made private in May 2024. The testimonial page on CJP's website was revised over the summer, removing praise from Judge Sam Scheele, who was identified in a July report by Fox News Digital. Archived links showed Scheele's comments were public until July, when they were removed.

A spokesperson for the Environmental Law Institute said that changes to the testimonial page were made to "protect privacy and prevent baseless criticism and harassment." They emphasized that judges are encouraged to participate in continuing education on emerging legal trends, including those related to science.

Judge Scheele participated in CJP's online forum from September 2022 to May 2024. While his testimony was removed from the website, other quotes from judges were anonymized or remained attributed to a "participating judge," according to Fox News Digital.

Fox News Digital obtained archived chat history revealing discussions between at least five judges and CJP employees about climate studies and events. Delaware Judge Travis Laster shared a YouTube video of a 2022 climate presentation with a disclaimer about its non-public nature.

Scheele’s office did not comment on why his name was removed but confirmed his past participation in the forum. He attended the 2022 National Judicial Conference on Climate Science before joining the Indiana Court of Appeals.

The one-year program established by CJP trains state court judges in judicial leadership skills integrated with consensus climate science. The group maintains that its educational events are fact-based and developed through peer-review processes.

Sen. Cruz has criticized CJP for allegedly promoting "ex parte indoctrination" and pressuring judges politically. However, CJP describes itself as providing neutral information about climate science relevant to litigation.

The U.S. has seen an increase in climate-related lawsuits targeting major oil companies such as Shell, BP and ExxonMobil for alleged deceptive marketing related to climate-change risks.

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