The US Department of Justice (DOJ) solicitor general is pushing against the Supreme Court reviewing whether local government's climate liability suits against oil companies belong in federal or state courts, a key issue in the line of cases that have permeated US courts. In a oling to the Supreme Court on Thursday, US Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar argued against a petition from Suncor Energy and Exxon Mobil asking the high court to review whether litigation seeking damages should be heard in state or federal courts. The Supreme Court has not yet agreed to hear the case, but last year it asked the US solicitor general to weigh in on the jurisdictional oght. The government's oling backs the Colorado counties at issue in the suit, noting that they allege only state-law claims such as nuisance, trespass and violation of Colorado consumer protection law, making state court the proper arena to hear the claims. The DOJ oling says the “claims do not present a federal question, and petitioners have identioed no sound basis for recharacterizing those claims. ”
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