Free Republic

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court dealt a major setback to the oil industry on Monday, refusing to block lawsuits from California and other blue states that seek billions of dollars in damages for the impact of climate change. Without a comment or dissent, the justices turned down closely watched appeals from Sunoco, Shell and other energy producers. Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. said he took no part in the decision, presumably because he owns stock in companies affected by the dispute. In Sunoco vs. Honolulu, the energy producers urged the justices to intervene in these state cases and rule that...

The Supreme Court on Monday denied a request by the Trump administration to review California's so-called sanctuary laws, which limit cooperation between state and local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities. Two justices, conservatives Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, were listed by the court as having been in favor of reviewing the law, which was upheld last year by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. With the denial, the Supreme Court let stand the lower court's resolution in favor of three California sanctuary laws, which limited law enforcement cooperation on immigration and banned state and local authorities from using their...