Justice Alito pushes back on calls to recuse in a major Supreme Court climate case

FIRST ON NBC NEWSSupreme CourtSupreme CourtJustice Alito pushes back on calls to recuse in a major Supreme Court climate caseThe conservative justice has no financial conflict that would require him to step aside from the case, a court spokeswoman told NBC NewsListen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito in 2021.Erin Schaff / Getty Images fileShareAdd NBC News to GoogleMay 15, 2026, 11:13 AM EDTBy Lawrence HurleyWASHINGTON — Facing calls to step aside in a major upcoming case involving climate change, conservative Justice Samuel Alito is pushing back, with a Supreme Court spokeswoman saying he has no conflict that would require recusal.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.“Justice Alito does not have a financial interest in any party” involved in the case, the court spokeswoman said in a statement provided to NBC News. Alito was advised by the court’s legal counsel that “his recusal is not required,” she added.A group of left-leaning groups on Thursday had asked the Senate Judiciary Committee to investigate Alito’s involvement in the case, citing in part his stock holdings in energy companies.The case, set to be argued and decided in the court’s next term, which starts in October, concerns an attempt by energy companies ExxonMobil and Suncor Energy to throw out a lawsuit in Colorado seeking damages for harms related to climate change.Alito’s decision not to recuse in the case is “undermining public confidence in the impartiality of the court,” liberal groups, including the Center for Biological Diversity and Alliance for Justice, wrote to the Senate Judiciary Committee.Alito does not own stock in either ExxonMobil or Suncor Energy, according to his most recent financial disclosure report, which was filed last year. But at that time, he did hold stock in oil companies ConocoPhillips and Phillips 66, as well as five other firms involved in the energy sector, his fi...