Montana tribes file amicus brief to Supreme Court in climate change ruling [Video]

MISSOULA — The Environmental Justice Clinic this week filed an amicus brief with the Montana Supreme Court, joining the fight to ensure that the landmark Held v. State of Montana ruling of last year is upheld in the face of the state’s appeal.

The clinic at the Vermont Law and Graduate School filed the brief on behalf of five federally recognized Montana tribes and two Indigenous education scholars.

“The amicus brief details the unique connections that Indigenous people in Montana, including Plaintiffs, have with the environment and how preserving that environment is essential to protecting the ability of Native Nations to practice, maintain and pass on their culture,” said Nathan Bellinger, a senior attorney at Our Children’s Trust and the lead litigator in the case.

The case was brought before Montana District Court last year by 16 youth plaintiffs represented by Our Children’s Trust. Together, they argued that their rights to a clean and healthful environment under the Montana Constitution were being violated by the state’s ongoing …