A three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the dismissal of Lighthiser v. Trump, rejecting a group of young plaintiffs' bid to revive a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's energy policies. The ruling is the latest chapter in a string of climate litigation that has put Montana — and its young residents — at the center of national legal battles over fossil fuels and the environment.

The case follows the higher-profile Held v. Montana lawsuit, in which a different group of youth plaintiffs won a landmark state court ruling finding Montana's energy policy violated the state constitution's guarantee of a clean and healthful environment. Lighthiser v. Trump aimed at the federal level, but the courts found the plaintiffs lacked sufficient grounds to proceed.

The 9th Circuit's ruling means the federal lawsuit is definitively closed. For the broader climate litigation movement in Montana, it underscores the difficulty of winning federal cases even as state-level arguments have found more traction in court.