A recently published edition of a federal judicial reference manual contained a climate science chapter authored by individuals affiliated with climate litigation organizations.
The contributors included legal advocates from Columbia University’s Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, a group known for supporting activist litigation against energy companies and state governments.
In early 2025, a coalition of nearly 30 Republican state attorneys general, led by Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, criticized the chapter as biased and conflicted.
The officials argued the authors’ ties to active lawsuits compromised the material’s objectivity and aimed to influence ongoing climate litigation.
The Federal Judicial Center removed the contested chapter from its manual in February following the criticism.
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine maintained the content on its platform and declined requests to withdraw it entirely.
