Judges Avoid Climate Bias in New Manual

The Federal Judicial Center released a 1,600‑page manual that explains scientific concepts for courts.
Its latest edition added a 100‑page climate chapter.

Key Points

• The chapter asserts that human activity is the main cause of weather disasters.
  This claim, known as attribution, underpins many climate lawsuits.
• The manual treats attribution as proven science and urges judges to accept it.

Potential Impact

If courts followed this guidance, billions could be paid for climate damage claims.

State Response

• Twenty‑seven state attorneys general wrote a letter to the center’s director.
  West Virginia led the effort, with other states signing on.
• The letter argued that the manual placed judges on one side of a heated debate and warned that experts in the book were giving opinions without evidence.

Outcome

The center removed the climate chapter, a win for legal neutrality.
This move may help keep courts fair in climate cases and shows that judges can resist biased guidance.