On April 13, 2026, youth from across the country will stand before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Lighthiser v. Trump, challenging President Trump’s pro-fossil fuel executive orders that “unleash” fossil fuels, block renewable energy development, suppress critical climate science, and worsen the climate crisis.
The appeal follows a historic September evidentiary hearing — the first time in U.S. history that a federal court heard in-person testimony in a constitutional climate case led by young people — where the plaintiffs shared personal stories of wildfire evacuations, heat-related injuries, and threats to their lives, health, and futures. Based on the testimony, the district court found that:
- Fossil fuel exposure and climate change present a children’s health emergency.
- President Trump’s executive orders on fossil fuels will cause real-world injuries to the youth plaintiffs.
While the district court recognized the real harms these Executive Orders are causing to the youth plaintiffs, it wrongly concluded that it lacked the power to provide relief from the harm. In its decision, the district court invited the Ninth Circuit to say it got it wrong. Now, that is exactly what the youth will be asking for: that the Ninth Circuit say that the youth have a right to be in court challenging these Executive Orders that threaten their lives.