Dear John,
Today, something historic happened—at an urgent moment in time when the next four years will define American youths’ future.
22 youth from across the country—students, ranchers, artists, educators, and scientists-in-training—filed a constitutional rights lawsuit: Lighthiser v. Trump. With the support from Our Children’s Trust and allies, these fearless youth are leading the way for all of us in the face of unprecedented danger and attacks on our democracy.
These young plaintiffs are suing President Donald J. Trump and numerous federal agencies and officials for “unleashing” a coordinated assault on health and safety. His recent executive orders declare a so-called “National Energy Emergency,” accelerate fossil fuel production, block clean renewable energy, and suppress climate science. These actions knowingly worsen the climate emergency—and violate the Constitution.
Let’s be clear: this isn’t just reckless. It’s unconstitutional. It’s an attack on children, our scientific institutions, the rule of law, and our democracy.
The government’s job is to protect its people. Instead, these orders sacrifice the health and safety of our youth to serve fossil fuel interests — they are based on a lie that fossil fuels are necessary for energy affordability and security when in truth, wind and solar are now the cheapest forms of energy in the United States, even without accounting for their far lower costs to public health, the climate, and the broader economy.
