Environmental groups lost a legal battle in Washington last month, but the case provided a glimpse into the Green group' new plan of attack: using children to tug at judicial heart strings.
As Rob Nikolewski reports, King County Superior Court Judge Hollis Hill denied the children’s demand that the state Department of Ecology adopt stricter emissions standards aimed at protecting them from climate change. Hill said the court did not have rule-making authority, but at the same time, Hill’s ruling was more than sympathetic to the youngsters’ case, with her decision echoing many of the same talking points climate activists often make.
Lawyers who represented the children in the lawsuit say this is a technique they will be looking to duplicate in other states.
And speaking of duplicating things, the Wisconsin Supreme Court had to rule -- again -- this week that the John Doe investigation into conservative donors in the Badger State is once again dead. It seems like prosecutors in the case just won't take "no" for an answer, says Matt Kittle, who has covered the John Doe investigation -- and its many, many, legal failures -- for the past several years.
Pennsylvania is still without a state budget, but there is hope that a deal could be signed before the end of the year, reports Andrew Staub of the PA Independent.
In Vermont, lawmakers are considering a new carbon tax that could add 88 cents to the cost of every gallon of gas.
And in Texas, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is helping to subsidize the marketing costs of farms who sell organic food to Austin's hippies and hipsters. Jon Cassidy joins us for that story.
All that, plus the Nanny State of the Week, on this edition of the Watchdog Podcast.
