Source: https://www.ourchildrenstrust.org/oregon
Timestamp: 2019-04-26 10:38:03+00:00

Document:
Chernaik v. Brown plaintiffs Kelsey Juliana & Ollie Chernaik. Photo: Robin Loznak.
Kelsey Juliana, a plaintiff on the Oregon state climate lawsuit and the landmark federal climate lawsuit sat down with Bill Moyers to discuss her activism and why she's suing her government.
Today, the two young Oregonians who filed the climate change lawsuit, Chernaik v. Brown, were supported by 53 different individuals and organizations that live, work, and recreate in the State. The individuals and groups filed an amicus curiae (“friend of the court”) brief with the Oregon Supreme Court and represent a wide variety of interests, including government, communities of color, public health, youth, faith, business, conservation, and education.
Multnomah County, the most populous county in the state of Oregon, filed an amicus curiae (“friend of the court”) brief with the Oregon Supreme Court in support of two young plaintiffs’ climate change lawsuit, Chernaik v. Brown.
The Oregon Court of Appeals ruled against youth plaintiffs. In the order, the court indicated that the public trust doctrine imposes no affirmative duty on the state. The court declined to state which natural resources fall within the scope of the public trust, leaving the youth plaintiff’s questions unanswered.
On December 9, 2016 at 1:30pm PST, oral arguments in Chernaik v. Brown, will be presented before Oregon Court of Appeals judges Rex Armstrong, Douglas Tookey, and Scott Shorr.
Youth filed their opening brief with the Oregon Court of Appeals. The youth are supported by 53 law professors from across the nation and a broad coalition of individuals and organizations from across the state, including the Mayor of Eugene Kitty Piercy, who filed amicus curiae briefs arguing for the Court of Appeals to overturn the lower court's adverse decision.
Read the opening brief here.
Read the Law Professors' amicus brief here.
Read the amicus brief filed by the following individuals and organizations here.
Two teenagers from Eugene appealed Judge Karsten Rasmussen’s adverse decision to their climate change lawsuit. In its decision, the court ruled that the state of Oregon has no responsibility to preserve Oregon’s iconic rivers and beaches, fish, wildlife, shorelands or the atmosphere for future generations. Without addressing any of the evidence presented in expert declarations supporting the youth, including statements from the state’s own scientists, the court questioned “whether the atmosphere is a ‘natural resource’ at all.” Last year, Judge Rasmussen was reversed by the Oregon Court of Appeals in the same case brought by the teens, and plaintiffs Kelsey Juliana and Olivia Chernaik are hopeful that the most recent decision will be overturned again.
Read the filed notice of appeal here.
Court Questions Whether Atmosphere is a "Natural Resource"
Without considering any of the undisputed evidence by expert witnesses, a Lane Country Circuit Court Judge tarnished Oregon’s strong environmental record, holding in an unprecedented opinion that the state has no responsibility to preserve beaches, shorelands, islands, fish, wildlife, or the atmosphere for future generations.
Read the Circuit Court's decision.
In front of a packed courtroom and national news media, Judge Karsten Rasmussen heard oral argument in a precedent setting climate change case, Chernaik v. Brown, brought by two young women from Eugene. More than 400 students and individuals from across the state flooded the courtroom and overflow room and took part in a silent vigil and theatrical tribunal outside the courtroom in support of Kelsey Juliana and Olivia Chernaik’s fight for their constitutional rights and meaningful state action on climate change.
Come watch Judge Karsten Rasmussen at Lane County Circuit Court hear oral argument in the caseChernaik v. Brown, brought by two young plaintiffs from Eugene, Oregon.
Last summer, and in a nationally significant decision in their case, the Oregon Court of Appeals ruled a circuit court must decide whether the atmosphere is a public trust resource that the state of Oregon, as a trustee, has a duty to protect. Kelsey and Olivia were initially told they could not bring the case by Judge Karsten Rasmussen in Lane Country Circuit Court. The circuit court had ruled that climate change should be left only to the legislative and executive branches. The Oregon Court of Appeals overturned that decision, and the Kelsey and Olivia’s case will be heard before Judge Rasmussen once again.
Kelsey and Olivia, filed the climate change lawsuit against Governor Kitzhaber (now Governor Kate Brown) and the state of Oregon for failing to protect essential natural resources, including the atmosphere, state waters, and coast lines, as required under the public trust doctrine.
We need to show the judges that we support Kelsey and Olivia, in their efforts to protect everyone’s rights to a safe and livable Oregon.
Help us pack the courtroom!
Plaintiffs filed their reply brief in support of their motion for partial summary judgment with the Circuit Court, and the State filed its reply brief in support of its motion for summary judgment.
Plaintiffs filed their response brief in opposition to the State's motion for summary judgment with the Circuit Court, and the State filed its response brief in opposition to Plaintiffs' motion for partial summary judgment.
Today, two young plaintiffs from Eugene, Kelsey Juliana and Olivia Chernaik filed a motion for partial summary judgment in their climate change case, Chernaik v. Kitzhaber, to Lane County Circuit Court. Last summer, and in a nationally significant decision in their case, the Oregon Court of Appeals ruled the court must decide whether the atmosphere is a public trust resource that the state of Oregon, as a trustee, has a duty to protect along with recognized public trust assets such as estuaries, rivers, and wildlife. Kelsey and Olivia’s attorneys will now argue before Judge Karsten Rasmussen in Lane Country Circuit Court that not only does the State have a sovereign duty to protect the public trust resources of Oregon like air and water from carbon pollution, but that it is violating its trustee obligation to present and future generations if it does not.
Read the Plaintiffs' brief here.
Read the State's brief supporting its cross motion for summary judgment here.
Ernest Niemi, Economist and Founder of Natural Resource Economics Inc.
Read the Court of Appeals decision here and the press release here.
The Oregon Court of Appeals heard argument in the Oregon atmospheric trust case before hundreds of people at the University of Oregon School of Law. Click here to watch the video recording of the hearing.
Law professors Mary Wood and Michael Blumm wrote a guest viewpoint in the Register Guard on the Oregon atmospheric trust lawsuit.
Law professors Michael Blumm and Mary Wood wrote an opinion piece in the Oregonian about how the Oregon Attorney General's position in the the Oregon atmospheric trust case "completely undermines the state’s 150 ­year-old trust obligation owed to its citizens."
The Oregon Court of Appeals has selected the Oregon atmospheric trust case to be argued at the University of Oregon School of Law on January 16, 2014. The lawsuit was filed against Governor Kitzhaber and the State of Oregon for failing to protect essential natural resources, including the atmosphere, as required under the Public Trust Doctrine. Kelsey Juliana, Olivia Chernaik, and their mothers brought the case to compel the Oregon State government to create a viable climate recovery plan for reducing carbon dioxide emissions in order to protect Oregon’s natural resources.
Youth appellants file their reply brief before the Oregon Court of Appeals in response to the State's answering brief.
Two amicus curiae (“friend of the court”) briefs were filed in support of Kelsey Juliana and Olivia Chernaik’s appeal seeking to compel Governor Kitzhaber and the State of Oregon to take action to protect Oregonians from climate change by complying with their fiduciary duties under the Public Trust Doctrine. The amicus curiae brief on behalf of Oregon’s political leaders, businesses, agricultural groups and student native groups details potentially devastating impacts the state faces due to greenhouse gas emissions and climate instability, from ocean acidification to a decrease in agricultural productivity and significant decreases in snowpack and water supply. The Western Environmental Law Center also filed a separate amicus curiae brief on behalf of twenty-two top legal scholars from around the country urging the court to apply the Public Trust Doctrine to the atmosphere and allow the case to proceed.
Attorneys for youth plaintiffs file their opening brief with the Oregon Court of Appeals.
The lawsuit was filed against Governor Kitzhaber and the State of Oregon for failing to protect essential natural resources, including the atmosphere, as required under the Public Trust Doctrine. Kelsey Juliana, Olivia Chernaik, and their mothers brought the case to compel the Oregon State government to create a viable climate recovery plan for reducing carbon dioxide emissions in order to protect Oregon’s natural resources. “I hope the Court of Appeals understands the need to protect the atmosphere to ensure a livable planet for mine and future generations,” said 16-year-old Kelsey Juliana.
Today Kelsey’s story documenting her concerns over Oregon’s changing climate is being released in TRUST Oregon, a mini-documentary film. Her film is the eighth film in the ten-part, award-winning documentary series Stories of TRUST: Calling for Climate Recovery featuring the voices of daring youth from across the country who are pursuing lawsuits and asking the ruling generation to hear their climate change concerns. TRUST Oregon will be part of the Climate Reality Project’s 24-hours of Reality on November 14 and has already been prescreened at the Women’s Congress for Future Generations in Moab, Utah.
Two Oregon youth and their mothers, represented by the Crag Law Center, announced their decision to appeal a ruling dismissing their climate change lawsuit against Governor Kitzhaber and the State of Oregon for failing to protect essential natural resources, including the atmosphere, as required under the Public Trust Doctrine. At the same time, they are asking the Court of Appeals to send the case straight on to the Oregon Supreme Court through a rare certification process.
Read their brief, which includes a supporting declaration from climate scientist Dr. James Hansen. And check out the press release here.
The trial court granted the State’s motion to dismiss. Plaintiffs will appeal to the Oregon Court of Appeals.
Hearing for State's Motion to Dismiss, 10.30 am Judge Karsten Rassmussen, Lane County Courthouse in Eugene Oregon.
Complaint was filed on behalf of Oregon plaintiffs by OCT partner Attorneys from the Crag Law Center, Chris Winters and Tanya Sanerib, and Oregon Attorney Liam Sherlock against the Oregon Governor and the State of Oregon.

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