The U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously on April 17 that a pollution lawsuit against Chevron in Louisiana should be heard in federal court, overturning a lower court decision. The case, Chevron USA Inc. v. Plaquemines Parish, centered on whether the lawsuit—filed by a Louisiana parish over alleged environmental damage—should proceed in state or federal court. Justice Clarence Thomas authored the opinion, with Justice Samuel Alito recusing himself due to a financial conflict of interest.
The court determined that Chevron satisfied the requirements of the federal officer removal statute, which allows cases involving federal duties to be moved to federal court. The ruling vacated a prior federal appeals court decision that had sided with the parish, sending the case back for further proceedings. The lawsuit originally sought damages from Chevron for its wartime oil production activities, which the parish alleged contributed to coastal erosion.
The decision comes amid a broader legal battle involving around 40 environmental lawsuits filed by Louisiana parishes against oil and gas companies. In one such case, a Louisiana jury in April ordered Chevron to pay $745 million to Plaquemines Parish for wetland restoration. The Supreme Court’s ruling does not address the merits of the pollution claims but instead focuses on jurisdictional grounds.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson filed a concurring opinion, agreeing with the judgment but not the majority’s reasoning. Liberal Justices Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor joined the majority opinion, while conservative Justice Samuel Alito recused himself due to his ownership of ConocoPhillips stock, a company with ties to the case. This marks one of many recusal instances for Alito, who has stepped aside from 64 cases between 2021 and 2024 due to financial conflicts.