Maryland Court Blocks Climate Lawsuit Against Fossil Fuel Companies

Advocates call on U.S. Supreme Court to clarify federal climate laws and regulations.

Mar. 29, 2026 at 8:32pm

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A serene, photorealistic painting of an industrial power plant or oil refinery, its towering structures and smokestacks silhouetted against a warm, golden sky with deep, dramatic shadows, conveying a sense of quiet contemplation about the complex legal and political issues surrounding climate change.As legal battles over climate change accountability intensify, the Supreme Court is poised to provide critical guidance on the appropriate role of the courts.Annapolis Today

The Maryland Supreme Court has blocked a lawsuit from Baltimore, Annapolis, and Anne Arundel County that sought damages from fossil fuel companies for their alleged contributions to global climate change. The court ruled that the local governments were attempting to use state law to regulate global conduct, which is beyond their authority. Advocates are now calling on the U.S. Supreme Court to take up a similar case from Colorado to provide clarity on the legal framework for addressing climate change issues.

Why it matters

This ruling highlights the ongoing legal battles over who has the authority to regulate climate change-related issues, with local governments seeking to hold fossil fuel companies accountable through the courts, while industry advocates argue that such matters should be left to federal policymakers and agencies. The Supreme Court's upcoming decision on the Colorado case could have far-reaching implications for future climate-related lawsuits.

The details

In the Maryland case, the state's Supreme Court ruled that the local governments' lawsuit was an attempt to 'utilize state law to regulate global conduct that is purportedly causing global harm.' The court referenced an upcoming U.S. Supreme Court case from Colorado that will focus on a similar lawsuit filed by Boulder County against fossil fuel companies. Industry advocates praised the Maryland court's decision, arguing that climate change issues should be addressed through federal legislation and regulation, not state-level lawsuits. However, a dissenting justice in the Maryland case said the court made a premature judgment without fully considering the facts.

  • On Tuesday, the Maryland Supreme Court blocked the lawsuit from Baltimore, Annapolis, and Anne Arundel County.
  • The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to hear arguments on the Colorado case in the fall of 2026 and issue a decision in 2027.

The players

Maryland Supreme Court

The state's highest court that ruled against the climate lawsuit brought by local governments.

Phil Goldberg

Special counsel for the Manufactures' Accountability Project, who praised the Maryland court's decision and urged the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold Congress' responsibility to regulate emissions and climate change issues.

Justice Peter Killough

The dissenting justice in the Maryland case who said the court made a premature judgment without fully considering the facts.

Boulder County, Colorado

The local government that filed a lawsuit against fossil fuel companies using nuisance law claims, arguing the companies were liable for contributing to emissions that caused climate change.

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What they’re saying

“'No amount of creative pleading can masquerade the fact that the local governments are attempting to utilize state law to regulate global conduct that is purportedly causing global harm.'”

— Justice Brynja Booth, Maryland Supreme Court

“'It certainly adds fuel to the need for the court to get to the substantive issues in the Boulder case.'”

— Phil Goldberg, Special counsel, Manufactures' Accountability Project

“'The Majority's conclusion that these cases are tantamount to emissions regulation is not a finding – it is a prediction about what discovery would show, dressed up as a legal conclusion and deployed to close the courthouse door before discovery could confirm or refute it.'”

— Justice Peter Killough, Maryland Supreme Court

What’s next

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in the fall of 2026 over the Boulder, Colorado climate lawsuit case and will likely issue a decision in 2027.

The takeaway

This case highlights the ongoing legal battles over the appropriate framework for addressing climate change, with local governments seeking to hold fossil fuel companies accountable through the courts, while industry advocates argue that such matters should be left to federal policymakers and agencies. The Supreme Court's upcoming decision on the Colorado case could have significant implications for future climate-related lawsuits.