California Judge to Pause Oil Case Though ‘the World is Burning’

A trial judge in San Francisco said he would tentatively pause a lawsuit from the California attorney general and local governments accusing Big Oil firms of lying about climate change while an appeals court determines whether to take their case.

Judge Ethan P. Schulman of the San Francisco Superior Court at a Thursday hearing said he was bound by California’s civil procedure laws to pause the case, but appeared reluctant to do so.

“Not to over state” the attorney general’s position, Schulman said, “but meanwhile the world is burning. Climate change is causing catastrophic impacts.”

The judge said the oil ...