Does Exxon Have a Constitutional Right to Deny Climate Change?

From: Newsweek

This story was originally published by Mother Jones and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.

Does Exxon Mobil have a constitutional right to sow doubt about climate science? That's the subject of a high-stakes legal battle playing out between dozens of state attorneys general, members of Congress, corporate executives, and activists.

Last fall, investigations by Inside Climate News and the Los Angeles Times revealed that the oil giant has decades of internal documents showing that its own scientists and executives knew fossil fuels contributed to climate change. Publicly, the company argued that the threats posed by global warming were far from certain, presumably as part of an effort to fight off regulations.

The revelations have sparked a barrage of legal actions. The attorney generals of Massachusetts, California, and New York launched investigations of Exxon, while Democratic AGs from other states have expressed their support. Some have drawn parallels to the tobacco industry's deception on the dangers of smoking. Exxon has countered that the investigations are unconstitutional and has filed motions asking courts to block the subpoenas. "This…is about freedom of political speech," the company recently argued in the Massachusetts case.  MORE