Chicago City Wire

The Climate Judiciary Project (CJP), an initiative by the Environmental Law Institute, has recently removed the names of judges from its website following a report by Fox News Digital. The report highlighted a private online forum where judges and CJP leaders exchanged climate litigation updates. The forum, which had been operational for years, was made private in May 2024.

Republican lawmakers, including Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, have accused CJP of attempting to influence judges to favor creative climate litigation tactics. Cruz argued that CJP is part of a broader campaign involving left-wing activists and the Chinese Communist Party to undermine American energy dominance through legal means.

CJP's testimonial page underwent significant changes this summer after Fox News Digital's July report identified Judge Sam Scheele's involvement. Archived links showed that his comments were public in May but were removed by the end of July. A spokesperson for the Environmental Law Institute said that these updates aimed to "protect privacy and prevent baseless criticism and harassment."

Judge Scheele was among several judges who participated in CJP's online forum from September 2022 until May 2024. The forum facilitated communication between judges and CJP employees on topics such as climate studies and recent environmental events.

In response to inquiries about his participation, Scheele’s office explained that he joined the 2022 National Judicial Conference on Climate Science before his appointment to the Indiana Court of Appeals. His office emphasized his commitment to unbiased justice and continued education on emerging legal topics.

The now-defunct email list was part of CJP's Judicial Leaders in Climate Science program, designed to train state court judges on leadership skills integrated with climate science. The program collaborates with national judicial education institutions and adheres to high scholarly standards.

Senator Cruz has criticized CJP for allegedly promoting biased judicial practices under the guise of neutrality. However, CJP maintains that it provides objective information about climate science relevant to current and future litigation.

For more details on this story, visit Fox News Digital: Fox News.