WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court will open its new term Monday with arguments in a closely watched dispute that could influence dozens of lawsuits seeking to hold fossil-fuel companies financially responsible for costs associated with climate change.
The case, brought by Boulder County and other Colorado local governments against Suncor Energy and Exxon Mobil, centers on whether state-law claims against energy producers may proceed in state court or are displaced by federal law.
The Colorado governments accuse the companies of misleading the public about the climate consequences of fossil fuels and are seeking compensation for costs they say communities are incurring as temperatures rise and extreme weather intensifies. The companies dispute the claims and argue that questions involving global greenhouse-gas emissions and national energy policy cannot be resolved through state tort law.
The justices are not being asked at this stage to decide whether the oil companies are ultimately liable for climate-related damages. Instead, the case addresses a procedural legal question that could determine whether this and similar lawsuits around the country can move forward under state law.
The Trump administration has entered the case on the side of the energy companies. The Supreme Court granted the solicitor general permission to participate in Monday’s argument.
The dispute arrives as cities, counties and states around the country pursue litigation seeking compensation from fossil-fuel producers. A ruling that sharply limits state-law climate claims could undermine many of those cases; a ruling allowing Colorado’s case to continue would leave the underlying allegations to be litigated in lower courts.
The court’s docket for the coming term also includes major disputes involving immigration, gun laws, voting requirements and religious liberty. Among the questions before the justices are challenges involving federal immigration policy, restrictions on semiautomatic rifles, proof-of-citizenship requirements for voter registration and the participation of religious schools in publicly funded programs. The docket is still developing, and the court can add additional major cases as the term progresses.
Monday’s argument is the first scheduled case of the Supreme Court’s October 2026 session.
