"The U.S. Justice Department filed a lawsuit on Monday to block Minnesota from moving forward with a long-running lawsuit seeking to hold Exxon Mobil and other oil industry participants responsible for harms caused by climate change.
The lawsuit marked the latest in a series of cases President Donald Trump's administration has filed that have sought to prevent Democratic-led states from enforcing laws or pursuing lawsuits that target fossil fuel companies over climate change.
Judges have recently dismissed two similar lawsuits that the Justice Department filed against Michigan and Hawaii, which are among the numerous states and local governments that have in recent years pursued climate-change-related investigations or lawsuits against fossil fuel producers.
The Justice Department's latest lawsuit took aim at a lawsuit that Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed in 2020 during Trump's first term against Exxon, Koch Industries and the American Petroleum Institute."
Nate Raymond and Susan Heavey report for Reuters May 4, 2026.
