Description: Lawsuit brought by pro se plaintiff to stop the United States from reentering the Paris Climate Accord.
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Pruitt v. Biden
Case Documents:
Filing Date Type File Action Taken Summary 01/31/2023 Opinion Download Dismissal affirmed. Fifth Circuit Said Pro Se Plaintiff Lacked Standing for Challenge to U.S. Rejoining Paris Agreement. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the dismissal for lack of standing of a pro se plaintiff’s challenge to the United States’ reentry into the Paris Agreement in 2021. The Fifth Circuit found that the plaintiff’s status as a federal taxpayer and an owner of mineral interests in property did not establish standing. -
Pruitt v. Biden
Case Documents:
Filing Date Type File Action Taken Summary 09/17/2021 Order Download Motions for temporary restraining order and injunctive or declaratory relief denied. Federal Court Denied Pro Se Plaintiff’s Request for Order Barring U.S. from Reentering Paris Climate Accord. The federal district court for the Eastern District of Texas denied a pro se plaintiff’s motions for preliminary injunctive relief in a lawsuit challenging the validity of the Paris Climate Accord. A magistrate judge characterized the plaintiff as alleging that President Biden did not have authority to reenter the United States into the Paris Climate Accord because it was a treaty requiring the Senate’s advice and consent. In considering the motion for a temporary restraining order barring the U.S. from reentering the Paris Climate Accord, the magistrate found that the plaintiff had not shown a substantial likelihood that he would succeed on the merits since his case could raise jurisdictional questions regarding the political question doctrine and standing. The magistrate judge also found that the plaintiff’s allegations regarding damage to his interests in minerals or fossil fuels from measures the United States would take if it rejoined the Paris Climate Accord did not establish existence of a substantial threat or irreparable harm. Nor did the plaintiff show how this alleged harm would outweigh the harm of an injunction that would disrupt the U.S.’s international policy on climate change. The district court overruled the plaintiff’s objections to the magistrate’s report and denied the request for preliminary relief. 08/26/2021 Report and Recommendation Download Magistrate judge recommended that court deny the plaintiff's motions for injunctive relief. 01/19/2021 Complaint Download Complaint filed.