Climate Science Legal Defense Fund

The Climate Science Legal Defense Fund (CSLDF) is a not-for-profit organization established in 2011 to provide legal assistance to researchers and institutions engaged in climate science facing legal challenges from private entities such as think tanks and legal foundations.[1]

Climate Science Legal Defense Fund
AbbreviationCSLDF
MottoDefending the Scientific Endeavor
Formation2011
FounderScott Mandia, Joshua Wolfe
TypeNot for profit organization
PurposeLegal aid
Location
  • New York City
Executive Director
Lauren Kurtz
Websitehttps://csldf.org

CSLDF also provides litigation support and files amicus briefs in related cases,[2] promotes awareness among scientists of their legal rights and responsibilities, and makes public the legal actions taken against scientists.[3][4][5]

CSLDF claims that many legal challenges faced by scientists are intended to silence them for political reasons or stifle their research. According to CSLDF, litigation has intensified against climate scientists in recent years, and salaries earned by academics and researchers are often inadequate to pay for litigation defending against "corporate-funded law firms and institutes."[6]

Following the 2016 U.S. presidential election, CSLDF reported an increase in the need for their services from scientists concerned that they could be targeted by the Trump administration.[7][8][9]

History

CSLDF was co-founded by Joshua Wolfe and Scott Mandia, a physical sciences professor at Suffolk County Community College, to help defray the legal costs of a lawsuit against the University of Virginia and Dr. Michael Mann.[10]

The organization hired its first executive director, attorney Lauren Kurtz, in 2014[11] and received 501(c)3 status in 2015.[12]

Work

Litigation

In 2011, CSLDF provided support and funding to Michael Mann when the American Tradition Institute (ATI) served a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request on the University of Virginia regarding Mann's climate research. UVA and Mann engaged in litigation with ATI to prove that Virginia law protected Mann's emails and other documents. CSLDF raised more than $100,000 for Mann's litigation.[13] The Virginia Supreme Court ruled in Dr. Mann's favor in spring 2014.[14][15]

Amicus briefs

In addition to direct involvement in select litigations, CSLDF provides litigation support and files amicus briefs in related cases. In October 2015, CSLDF filed an amicus brief urging the Arizona Court of Appeals to protect climate scientists' files from open records requests made by the Energy & Environment Legal Institute (E&E Legal).[16] In March 2016, CSLDF filed an amicus brief before the Pima County Superior Court in Arizona, also arguing for protection of climate scientists' private files against open records requests by E&E Legal.[17]

In February 2017, CSLDF filed an amicus brief in a FOIA litigation, urging the District of Columbia court to protect roughly 8,000 emails written and received by federal climate scientists.[2]

In July 2017, CSLDF filed an amicus brief asking the Arizona Court of Appeals to protect scientists from intrusive open record requests.[18]

CSLDF educates scientists about their legal rights and responsibilities and increases awareness of how FOIA and state open record law equivalents are used to harass and intimidate climate scientists.[3][4][5]

In early 2017, CSLDF began building a national legal network to help scientists at public and private universities in the United States.[19]

Publications

In November 2016, after the U.S. presidential election, CSLDF published Handling Political Harassment and Legal Intimidation: A Pocket Guide for Scientists, which contains basic legal advice for scientists.[7]

In 2017, CSLDF partnered with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on a pamphlet, "March for Science: Know Your Rights," for those participating in the April 22, 2017 March for Science.[20]

References
  1. "A Legal Defense Fund for Climate Scientists". Mother Jones. Retrieved 2017-08-10.
  2. "Climate scientists battle attacks on their research from conservatives, brace for more under Trump". Retrieved 2017-08-10.
  3. "AGU-CSLDF Legal Symposium - 2016 AGU Fall Meeting". 2016 AGU Fall Meeting. Retrieved 2017-08-10.
  4. "Defending Science @ Fall Meeting". The Bridge: Connecting Science and Policy. 2014-12-03. Retrieved 2017-08-10.
  5. "Legal Education Webinar Series - Sharing Science". Sharing Science. Retrieved 2017-08-10.
  6. "Climate Scientists Under Attack: Fear Not. Reinforcements Have Arrived. Here's What Climate Progress Readers Can Do". Retrieved 2017-08-10.
  7. "Why Scientists Are Scared of Trump: A Pocket Guide". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2017-08-10.
  8. Kaplan, Sarah. "Scientists prepare to fight for their work during 'the Trumpocene'". Washington Post. Retrieved 2017-08-10.
  9. "It's Never Been Harder to Be a Climate Scientist". New Republic. Retrieved 2017-08-10.
  10. "Legal Fund Helping Climate Scientists Draw Line in the Sand". Retrieved 2017-08-10.
  11. "This Lawyer's New Job Is Defending Climate Scientists From Political Attacks". Retrieved 2017-08-10.
  12. "About - Climate Science Legal Defense Fund". Climate Science Legal Defense Fund. Retrieved 2017-08-10.
  13. Mandel, Charles (2016-01-29). "When climate deniers harass scientists, these guys come to the rescue". National Observer. Retrieved 2017-08-10.
  14. Jackman, Tom. "Va. Supreme Court rules for U-Va. in global warming FOIA case". Washington Post. Retrieved 2017-08-10.
  15. "Climate scientist targeted by lawsuit gets $250 for the hassle". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2017-08-10.
  16. "CSLDF amicus brief to Arizona Court of Appeals" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-10-28. Retrieved 2016-01-14.
  17. "CSLDF Files New Brief in Support of Protecting Climate Scientists". Climate Science Legal Defense Fund. 2016-03-28. Retrieved 2017-08-10.
  18. "Scientific Process Harmed by Public Record Abuse, Brief Says". AAAS - The World's Largest General Scientific Society. 2017-07-17. Retrieved 2017-08-10.
  19. Schwartz, John (2017-05-15). "Under Fire, Climate Scientists Unite With Lawyers to Fight Back". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-08-10.
  20. "March for Science: Know Your Rights Pamphlet - Climate Science Legal Defense Fund". Climate Science Legal Defense Fund. Retrieved 2017-08-10.
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