The U.S. Supreme Court rejected on Monday a bid by 19 Republican-led states led by Alabama to block five Democratic-led states from pursuing lawsuits accusing major oil companies of deceiving the public about the role fossil fuels have played in causing climate change.
The justices declined to hear a case that was filed directly with the Supreme Court by Republican state attorneys general that took aim at cases filed in various state courts against companies including Exxon Mobil, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Shell and BP. Those lawsuits were filed by California, Connecticut, Minnesota, New Jersey and Rhode