Declare Emergency Climate Crisis Activist Heads to the Supreme Court after Being Denied a Fair Trial
Washington, DC (February 19, 2025) – Nearly two years after 75-year old climate activist Bob Atchinson was given a suspended sentence and fined for protesting the U.S. government's inaction on climate change, his case has been appealed to the United States Supreme Court.
In October 2022, Atchinson was arrested for an act of nonviolent civil disobedience, namely sitting in the roadway with a sign calling for a Presidential declaration of Climate Emergency, and blocking I-395 at the 7th St SW overpass in Washington, D.C. during rush hour. This protest action, designed to demand urgent climate action, was led by Declare Emergency, https://www.declareemergency.org, a 501c3 non profit climate action group of which Atchinson is a supporter.
In pretrial motions, the presiding judge in D.C. ruled that Atchinson would not be permitted to explain his reason for protesting or to mention climate change—that is, the court blocked Atchinson from arguing that the protest was driven by an urgent need to address the climate crisis and save lives. Nor could Atchinson testify that he took to disruptive protesting only after other efforts, such as rallies and letters, failed to bring about the necessary change to address the ongoing climate emergency. Further, Atchinson was not allowed to present an expert witness who agreed with Atchinson that immediate action was needed to prevent endless death and devastation.
Atchinson now accuses the fossil fuel industry, the U.S. government, and the media of covering up the truth about climate change---the same truth he was denied the chance to testify to at trial. In a petition filed today with the Supreme Court, Atchinson asked the Supreme Court to order the lower courts to allow him to present his case as he saw fit, under the Constitutional right to a fair trial, and argue the necessity defense, thereby recognizing climate change as a legitimate basis for civil disobedience.
“I risked arrest because I believed we had about three years left before our present climate crisis reached an irreversible state, accompanied by untold starvation, migration, suffering, and economic collapse,”** said Atchinson, a retired Project Coordinator and Engineer from Vermont. “This is so very important to me that I am willing to put myself on the line for this. For all of our children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and all life.”
In his sentencing statement, Mr. Atchinson quoted UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres: “We are on the road to climate hell with our foot still on the accelerator. We are in the fight of our lives and we are losing”. He finished by saying, “We are at the end of the line here. It is time for action and I am deeply motivated. Judge - the fossil fuel companies are the real criminals here. What we do in the next few years will determine the fate of humanity.”
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Petition filed with the Supreme Court: https://drive.google.com/file/d/17qBYvpPjbJ71kVCa-wVx6tuOIfEViLO1/view?usp=sharing
To help with travel and legal expenses, please visit: https://chuffed.org/project/123629-declare-emergency-climate-change-activist-heads-to-the-supreme-court-after-being-denied-fair-trial
**(James Hansen, former NASA climate scientist now states that the crisis is expanding exponentially and this year, the Earth exceeded the 1.5 C temperature warning mark!)