A presidential directive asks federal agencies to reassess climate science guidance used by judges, prompting questions about bias, accuracy, and the future of court evidence.
As stated by Reuters
Los Angeles, California, July 19, 2026 – U.S. President Donald Trump urged a review of the use in climate-related cases of the Federal Judicial Center’s Handbook on Scientific Evidence, stating that parts of the materials contain outdated or misleading information that has harmed the country.
Our country’s federal judges deserve facts and science, not political fraud and fake science about the climate. With this truth, I order federal agencies to review this conduct.
– Donald Trump
The statement came amid discussions about how the U.S. judiciary uses scientific documentation in climate cases. Trump clarified that he intends a review of the actions of the agencies responsible for the suspension and disqualification of officials in the process of reviewing the relevant materials.
So far, the White House has not provided an official comment on the initiative.
This year, the federal judiciary scrapped a section from the new edition of the Handbook on Scientific Evidence that touched on climate issues after prosecutors from several partner states opposed its wording, claiming bias against oil companies.
The handbook, prepared by the Federal Judicial Center (FJC), is a scientific cornerstone of judicial practice used by judges in cases involving scientific expertise. The fourth edition update was released in December of the previous year. The climate-change section was created by Jessica Wentz and Radley Horton of Columbia Law School and was developed to help judges assess the admissibility and weight of expert testimony and documentary evidence related to climate science.
The handbook is produced jointly by the Federal Judicial Center and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
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