Justice Samuel Alito of the US Supreme Court recused himself on Monday from a major climate case, following calls for his withdrawal due to holding shares in oil companies. In a letter published in the case, no reason was given for the recusal.
The letter states: "Justice Alito has determined that he will not continue to participate in this case." Alito has previously recused himself from other cases involving companies in which he holds shares.
The recusal comes shortly before the court is set to hear the case brought by local officials from Boulder, Colorado, against Suncor Energy and ExxonMobil. This is one of dozens of similar cases in which it is claimed that companies have misled the public about how fossil fuels contribute to climate change. Billions of dollars are at stake.
The Supreme Court agreed to consider the appeal by the companies, supported by the Trump administration. The energy companies argue that the lawsuits pose a serious threat to the industry and that state courts are not the appropriate venue for resolving the global issue of climate change. Alito had previously declined calls to recuse himself from the case, which the court agreed to consider in February.
Alito does not hold shares in Suncor Energy or Exxon. However, according to his asset disclosures, he has stakes in other oil companies such as ConocoPhillips and Phillips 66. The group Consumer Watchdog notes that this means he could stand to benefit indirectly from a ruling in the industry's favour.
The group's director, Alexandra Nagy, pointed to the court's recently adopted code of conduct, under which a judge should recuse themselves if they or their family have a "concern or interest". Nagy said in a statement: "The recusal of Justice Alito from the Suncor case was the right decision and should have been made from the start."
