September 4, 2024: Parties Presented Oral Arguments Before the Utah Supreme Court

Before a panel of Utah Supreme Court judges, attorney for the youth plaintiffs argued why the case should proceed to trial, asserting that the statutes challenged in this case unconstitutionally mandate the State to promote, foster, and authorize fossil fuel development on a system-wide basis, despite knowledge of its direct impacts to young peoples’ health and safety. This promotion, they argue, is directly responsible for Utah’s deteriorating air quality and increasingly dangerous climate conditions, which the young Utahns are unable to escape. The plaintiffs bring this facial challenge to these policies, claiming they violate their fundamental rights under Utah’s State Constitution.