NATALIE R. V. STATE OF UTAH
On March 20, 2025, the Utah Supreme Court issued a partial win for the youth, allowing them to continue their legal efforts to challenge specific state actions promoting fossil fuel development. The Justices offered the youth plaintiffs a path forward to amend their complaint, address the Court’s concerns, and continue fighting for their rights to life, health, and safety amid the climate crisis.
Acknowledging the vast amounts of fossil fuels extracted in Utah, the Supreme Court ruled that in order for courts to be able to provide plaintiffs with a meaningful remedy, they needed more specificity about the government conduct plaintiffs were challenging.
The youth plaintiffs and their attorneys are now pursuing every available avenue to continue advocating for the protection of Utah’s youth from climate-related harm.
Current Status
On March 15, 2022, seven youth from across the state of Utah filed their constitutional climate lawsuit against the state of Utah, Natalie R. v. State of Utah. The case argues that, through its statutory policy to maximize, promote, and systematically authorize the development of fossil fuels in Utah, the State is actively causing and contributing to Utah’s hazardous air quality and dangerous climate crisis impacts, harming the young plaintiffs and violating their state constitutional rights to life, health, and safety.
The youth plaintiffs claim that their state government has long known of the dangers of fossil fuels yet has continued to take affirmative actions that worsen air pollution and the climate crisis in the Beehive State, resulting in increasingly hazardous air quality and climate impacts that directly harm Utah’s children.
The youth plaintiffs are represented by Andrew Welle with Our Children’s Trust and Andrew Deiss, John Robinson, and Corey Riley with Deiss Law PC.
major moments timeline
The following is a timeline of major moments, filings, and rulings in Natalie R. v. State of Utah, from March 15, 2022 to today:
Saturday, November 25
March 15, 2022: Case Filed
Seven Utahn youth filed their constitutional climate case against the state of Utah.
Saturday, November 25
May 6, 2022: State Filed Motion to Dismiss
The State of Utah filed a Motion to Dismiss the case.
Saturday, November 25
June 10, 2022: Youth Plaintiffs Filed Opposition to Motion to Dismiss
Attorneys for the youth plaintiffs filed their response to the motion to dismiss.
Saturday, November 25
November 4, 2022: Youth Plaintiffs & Attorneys Presented Oral Arguments
Youth plaintiffs and their attorneys appeared before the Honorable Robert Faust at the Third District Courthouse in Salt Lake City to present the youth’s position on why the court should let the case proceed to trial. Judge Faust said he would issue a ruling on the state’s motion to dismiss the case within a few days.
Saturday, November 25
November 9, 2022: Judge Granted State’s Motion to Dismiss
Judge Robert Faust granted the state’s Motion to Dismiss, denying the youth plaintiffs their day in court to present evidence of how the State is harming them in violation of their constitutional rights.
Saturday, November 25
January 3, 2023: Youth Filed Notice of Appeal
The youth plaintiffs and their attorneys filed a Notice of Appeal in response to the November 9 ruling by Judge Faust.
Saturday, November 25
March 10, 2023: Utah Supreme Court Retained Appeal of Dismissal
In a rare move reserved for cases of considerable legal importance, the Utah Supreme Court retained the appeal filed by the seven Utah youth.
As a result, the youth’s appeal will now be decided directly by the Utah Supreme Court, rather than the Utah Court of Appeals, signaling the Court’s recognition of the case’s constitutional significance.
Saturday, November 25
September 20, 2023: Youth Filed Opening Brief to Utah Supreme Court
The youth plaintiffs and their attorneys filed their opening brief to the Utah Supreme Court explaining why the youth’s case should proceed to trial on the facts and outlining why the November 9, 2022, ruling from Judge Robert Faust was incorrect.
The youth’s brief also explains how their allegations show that Utah laws that require the state to maximize fossil fuel development are causing the state’s climate and air quality crises, harming the health and safety of the youth and taking years off their lives in violation of their rights to life and liberty under Utah’s Constitution.
Saturday, November 25
February 20, 2024: Attorneys for the state filed their response to the youth's opening brief
Attorneys for the state filed their response to the youth’s opening brief to the Utah Supreme Court, defending the district court’s dismissal of the youth’s claims.
Thursday, March 21
April 22, 2024: Youth Plaintiffs Filed Reply Brief to Utah Supreme Court
The youth plaintiffs filed their reply brief to the state’s highest court arguing why their case should proceed to trial. They explained that laws promoting fossil fuels are violating their constitutional rights and that every delay in the case adds to the health and safety harms they allege.
Wednesday, April 24
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.
Wednesday, September 4
March 20, 2025: Utah Supreme Court Issues Partial Win for Youth Plaintiffs
The Utah Supreme Court today issued a ruling in the youth-led constitutional climate lawsuit Natalie R. v. State of Utah, which allows the plaintiffs to continue their legal efforts to challenge specific state actions promoting fossil fuel development. The ruling clears the way for the youth to amend their complaint, focusing on how state actions that endanger plaintiffs’ health and safety and contribute to hazardous air quality and climate change violate their constitutional rights to life and liberty. This decision also confirms that Utah’s energy laws do not mandate automatic approval of fossil fuel projects, granting the state full discretion to reject fossil fuel development because of climate change, including coal mining.
Read the press release here.
Thursday, March 20
TODAY: Moving Forward
The youth plaintiffs and their attorneys are actively exploring every legal avenue to continue their fight to protect Utah’s youth from the dangers of climate change and ensure the protection of their constitutional right to life, health and safety.
power forward together
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