Executive orders promoting fossil fuels and declaring energy emergency violate constitutional rights
May 29, 2025
Multiple Guardrails
Founders' Principles Violated
Guardrails Violated
Environmental protection laws and review requirements bypassed.
Scientific integrity and evidence-based policymaking undermined.
Due process protections and procedural requirements bypassed.
Constitutional rights to life, liberty, and due process violated.
Trigger
President signed three executive orders (EO 14160, 14161, 14162) that promote coal and fossil fuels, suppress climate science, and declare a national energy emergency. 22 young plaintiffs (ages 7-25) filed lawsuit claiming these orders violate their constitutional rights to life and liberty under the Fifth Amendment.
Action Taken
Signed executive orders that: (1) promote coal and fossil fuel development, (2) suppress climate science and reports, (3) declare national energy emergency. Orders bypassed normal regulatory processes and Congressional oversight. Lawsuit filed by children and young adults claiming violation of constitutional rights to life and liberty due to climate impacts.
In His Own Words
"We need energy independence, not climate alarmism."
"The climate emergency is a hoax designed to destroy American industry."
What's Wrong
Executive orders bypassed normal regulatory processes and environmental review requirements. Climate science suppression violates transparency and scientific integrity norms. Energy emergency declaration used to justify bypassing environmental protections. Orders implemented without Congressional authorization or proper public comment periods.
Impact
Environmental: Promotion of fossil fuels increases greenhouse gas emissions, directly harming children's future. Institutional: Suppression of climate science undermines scientific integrity and evidence-based policymaking. Legal: Lawsuit claims violation of Fifth Amendment rights to life and liberty. Operational: Energy emergency declaration used to bypass environmental protections and regulatory oversight.
Sources & Full Details
Primary Sources
Background
22 young plaintiffs (ages 7-25) filed Lighthiser v. Trump lawsuit claiming three executive orders violate their constitutional rights to life and liberty under the Fifth Amendment. The orders promote coal, suppress climate science, and declare an energy emergency. The case was dismissed in October 2025 for lack of jurisdiction, though the judge acknowledged climate change's serious impacts on children.
Why Level 3?
Multiple guardrails bypassed: Environmental protection laws, scientific integrity, due process requirements. Measurable harm to future generations' constitutional rights. Institutional damage through suppression of science and bypassing regulatory processes.