by Pamela King
Politico
Justice Elena Kagan’s foreword to a judicial reference manual has triggered calls for her to bow out of an upcoming Supreme Court case.
Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan is distancing herself from a climate science reference for judges that is making waves in an upcoming case.
Conservative groups have called for a probe of whether Kagan — a member of the high court’s liberal wing — violated ethics rules by not stepping back from a legal fight by local governments trying to get the oil industry to pay up for the impacts of climate change. The high-stakes legal battle has the potential to cost energy producers billions of dollars.
Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) asked Kagan about the controversy.
It stems from the foreword the Kagan wrote to a judicial reference manual that contained a chapter on climate science. That chapter has since been withdrawn.
“I hadn’t read the chapter in question prior to that time. Actually, I still haven’t read it,” Kagan said…
Steve Milloy, who signed the letter, said Tuesday that he didn’t accept the explanation Kagan gave to Collins.
“I’m a lawyer, she’s a lawyer, and as a lawyer, you don’t get to sign and endorse things you don’t know anything about,” said Milloy, a former Trump transition adviser who disputes consensus climate science.
