Supreme Court’s Climate Case Focuses on Procedure, Not Policy

The U.S. Supreme Court last week added an important climate change case to its docket, giving oil and gas companies another shot at ducking high-stakes liability claims from state and local governments.

The justices agreed to review a petition from BP Plc, Chevron Corp., Exxon Mobil Corp., and other oil majors that say a climate-focused lawsuit from the city of Baltimore belongs in federal, not state, court.

Many legal scholars were surprised by the high court’s interest in the case, given the highly technical nature of the question before it: the scope of appellate review in certain ...