DOJ FILES INTIMIDATION LAWSUIT AGAINST MINNESOTA TO SHIELD BIG OIL FROM FRAUD CASE
NEWS & RESEARCH
In 2020, the state of Minnesota filed a lawsuit against ExxonMobil, the American Petroleum Institute, and other major oil companies, accusing them of violating consumer protection laws by misleading the public about the dangers of climate change. Six years later, that case is still making its way through the courts but the Trump administration decided to sue Minnesota in an attempt to stop it from going any further. A press release published by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) in May 2026 claims that the state’s lawsuit against Big Oil seeks to “regulate global greenhouse gas emissions,” which is a federal duty. Legal experts, though, like Pat Parenteau, say that this argument is “frivolous” because “Minnesota’s case is about lying to the public. It has nothing to do with energy policy or regulation of emissions.”
SOURCES: New York Times | MinnPost | Climate in the Courts
ANALYSIS & OPINION
This is not the first time that Trump has attempted to block litigation that could threaten Big Oil. In 2025, the president met with top industry executives who urged him to shield the sector from escalating climate lawsuits and legislation. Trump then issued an executive order to “protect American energy from state overreach.” Shortly thereafter, the DOJ preemptively sued Michigan and Hawai’i to prevent the states from taking legal action against fossil fuel companies. According to the President of the Center for Climate Integrity, “This is a desperate effort to shield the architects of Big Oil’s decades-long climate deception from facing accountability.”
SOURCES: Center for Climate Integrity | New York Times | Wall Street Journal
HOW TO FIX IT
Federal action:
Pass the Protecting Our Democracy Act (PODA). This legislation contains the Security from Political Interference in Justice Act (originally introduced as a standalone bill), which would require the White House and DOJ to keep an ongoing record of their communications in order to maintain transparency and accountability and “prevent the executive from eroding DOJ’s independence through political interference.”
Expand the Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA). Current law allows individuals and small businesses to recover their attorney fees when the federal government brings lawsuits against them that the courts reject as unjustified. Congress could expand EAJA to also cover states. If the DOJ knew that weak lawsuits could result in substantial fee awards to state governments, there would be less incentive to file them.
Legislation: S.2838 - Protecting Our Democracy Act | S.1915 - Security from Political Interference in Justice Act of 2019 | S.265 - Equal Access to Justice Act
