Youth Launch New Climate Lawsuit Against Trump’s Energy Orders

The next generation of youth climate litigation was filed in federal district court on Thursday, challenging President Donald Trump’s executive orders that young plaintiffs say violate their constitutional rights.

Twenty-two youths from Montana, Hawaii, Oregon, California, and Florida signed onto Lighthiser v. Trump, telling the US District Court for the District of Montana that the administration’s energy actions and executive orders violate their right to life.

Trump has been vocal about plans to scale up energy production to boost the US economy, at the expense of the previous administration’s climate agenda. The plaintiffs refer to executive orders such as “Unleashing American Energy,” which was announced in January and encourages a massive increase in US fossil fuel development.

“Defendants are ‘unleashing’ dangers upon Plaintiffs while simultaneously dismantling the congressionally mandated ‘warning system’ of climate science and pollution control systems that are essential to protect Plaintiffs’ fundamental rights,” according to the complaint.

Legal non-profit Our Children’s Trust is once again at the helm of the constitutional complaint, following the final dismissal of their earlier landmark youth suit Juliana v. US. Our Children’s Trust also oversees numerous state-level cases against local governments’ climate policies—Rikki Held of Held v. Montana is also a plaintiff on this new legal action.

The EPA did not immediately respond to request for comment.

The case is Lighthiser v. Trump, D. Mont., Complaint filed 5/29/25.