The Justice Department’s investigative division has decided to remove a contentious climate-focused section from its latest scientific evidence guide for judges. This decision comes just days after a Fox News Digital report pointed out sources within the guide that were perceived to have liberal bias.
The federal Judicial Center routinely puts out a reference manual on scientific evidence. The climate policy chapter in the latest edition, released at the end of December, faced criticism for being more about indoctrination rather than education, as it drew heavily from left-leaning climate advocates.
On Friday, Judge Robin Rosenberg, who was appointed by Obama and leads the Center at the Thurgood Marshall Building in Washington, communicated to West Virginia Attorney General J.B. McCaskey that the chapter focused on climate policy had been taken out.
McCaskey, along with Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers, recently urged the House Judiciary Committee to broaden its investigation into how climate-related policies might affect federal judges, suggesting they also review the manual’s content.
In response to a letter from January, Rosenberg informed McCaskey that the climate science chapter had indeed been removed from the Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence, Fourth Edition (RMSE). This guide, approximately 1,600 pages long, had previously included numerous quotes from climate activists like Michael Mann and environmental law expert Jessica Wentz.
When accessed later, the document appeared to have dropped to 1,662 pages, though it still claimed to be 1,682 pages long. An appendix footnote mentioned that the “Reference Guide to Climate Science” was abbreviated on February 6.
McCaskey stated that his office had spearheaded the push for the Federal Judicial Center to eliminate what they deemed “inappropriate new additions” regarding climate science in the Scientific Evidence Reference Manual. He characterized the removal as a triumph for fairness in the judicial system and for the people of West Virginia. He also acknowledged the significant contributions from Hilgers and other attorneys general involved in the efforts.
Hilgers expressed his satisfaction on social media, calling it a “big win” and conveying pride in collaborating on this issue with McCaskey and their Republican colleagues.
After the revisions, Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, described the original chapter as a “political pamphlet for climate change fraud,” and suggested that a clearer account of the chapter’s content could provide useful insights into the circumstances surrounding its creation.
