Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito will not participate in a climate change case involving ExxonMobil and Suncor Energy following calls for his recusal over his energy sector stock holdings.

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito has announced he will no longer participate in a pending climate change case. The decision, disclosed in a letter to lawyers on Monday, follows repeated calls from advocacy groups for his recusal due to his financial holdings in oil and gas companies. The case, which is scheduled for oral arguments next week, involves an effort by ExxonMobil and Suncor Energy to dismiss a Colorado lawsuit seeking damages for climate change impacts.

Financial Holdings and Recusal

While Justice Alito does not own stock in ExxonMobil or Suncor Energy, his financial disclosure reports show he holds shares in ConocoPhillips, Phillips 66, and five other energy sector firms. Activists argued that a ruling favoring the oil companies could benefit the firms in which Alito holds stock, as it might influence similar climate litigation nationwide. Previously, a court spokeswoman stated that Alito’s recusal was not required because he lacked a direct financial interest in the parties involved.

Potential Legal Impact

The Supreme Court currently maintains a 6-3 conservative majority. Alito’s withdrawal creates the possibility of a 4-4 split, which would leave the legal issues in the Colorado case unresolved. The oil and gas industry is seeking a broad ruling that would prevent similar climate lawsuits from proceeding in state courts, potentially avoiding billions of dollars in damages. Meanwhile, some conservatives have requested that Justice Elena Kagan recuse herself from the same case, citing a controversy regarding a climate change chapter in a judicial manual she provided a foreword for.