Overview

• The two-day preliminary hearing begins Tuesday in Missoula, where 22 youths seek an injunction against three executive orders tied to fossil fuel expansion.
• Plaintiffs plan live testimony on health and livelihood harms, supported by climate scientists, a pediatrician and former White House official John Podesta.
• The suit targets orders that accelerate drilling under emergency powers, curb the electric-vehicle market and give coal priority extraction status, while alleging suppression of federal climate science.
• Judge Dana Christensen is presiding as the Justice Department and 19 states plus Guam move to dismiss the case and do not plan to call witnesses.
• The challenge follows youths’ state-level wins in Montana and a Hawaii settlement, but prior federal efforts like Juliana were turned away and observers foresee a tough appellate path.