January 1, Climate Judge Training Sparks Calls for Probe

Wyatt’s Take

• Energy group asks AG Bondi to investigate judge training on climate lawsuits.
• Emails suggest seminars favor plaintiffs suing oil companies.
• Advocates demand unbiased education and more oversight.

Power the Future, an energy advocacy group, wants Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi to look into the Federal Judiciary Center’s training for judges involved in climate cases. They claim this training is pushing one-sided views and giving the plaintiffs an unfair edge against oil companies.

According to a letter from Power the Future, the agency’s private seminars reached 1,800 judges and featured speakers who were all aligned with groups suing big energy firms. Emails gained through a public records request seem to show these sessions are intentionally ideological.

“They’re deliberately cultivating these judges the way you would cultivate a mentee,” said Daniel Turner, executive director of Power the Future.

The training reportedly relies on experts sympathetic to the climate crisis narrative, leaving out opposing scientific views. Critics say this setup rigs the cases against energy producers by shaping how judges see evidence and arguments.

Dr. Don Wuebbles, who has testified in climate lawsuits, wrote in an email, “the kind of issues that Judge Tatel raised towards counteracting arguments from nonbelievers.” Paul Hanle, of the Climate Judiciary Project, replied, “Judges who saw it would also be grateful.”

Wuebbles has publicly called those who question climate change “confusionists,” saying, “I actually tend to call them confusionists, because I think that’s their real job.” He told Fox News the group’s letter “highly distorted” his work and claimed, “the misinformation of contrarians needs to be responded to by responses demonstrating the real state of science.”

Wuebbles argued he’s open to scientific debate but doesn’t think worn-out points should be included in judge education. The Department of Energy tried to bring a wider range of scientists, often shut out for their differing views, into the climate discussion.

Researchers like Dr. Judith Curry, Dr. John Christy, Dr. Steven Koonin, Dr. Roy Spencer, and Dr. Ross McKitrick have all pressed for more skepticism in official reports. Their opinions are often ignored in these seminars, according to Power the Future.

After judges issued rulings that didn’t go plaintiffs’ way, the Environmental Law Institute began partnering with the judiciary agency to educate federal judges. FJC officials have confirmed running one-day seminars with the Environmental Law Institute.

If our courts aren’t getting the full story, public trust in justice and fair trials is at stake. Stay tuned, stay informed, and keep standing for common sense in our legal system.

Wyatt Matters

Middle America depends on fair courts that judge cases by facts, not one-sided science or political agendas. Our communities deserve open discussion, and no one should be shut out for questioning the climate narrative.

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