Judges Avoid Climate Bias in New Manual

A new guide for judges was almost full of climate alarm. The Federal Judicial Center released a 1600‑page manual that explains science for courts. Its latest edition added a 100‑page climate chapter. The chapter said that human activity is the main cause of weather disasters. That claim, called “attribution, ” is a key point in many climate lawsuits. The manual treated attribution as proven science, urging judges to accept it. If courts followed this, billions could be paid for climate damage claims.States saw the problem quickly. Twenty‑seven state attorneys general wrote a letter to the center’s director. West Virginia led the effort, and other states signed on. The letter said the manual put judges on one side of a hot debate. It also warned that experts in the book were giving opinions without evidence. The center replied that it had removed the climate chapter. The decision was a win for legal neutrality. This move may help keep courts fair in climate cases. It shows that judges can stand against biased guidance.