Supreme Court Clears Chevron to Move Louisiana Coastal Case to Federal Court

Overview

• Chevron won an 8-0 Supreme Court decision Friday allowing removal of the Plaquemines Parish coastal-damage suit to federal court, reversing the Fifth Circuit.
• The decision addresses only where the case will be heard and leaves liability unresolved, putting a 2025 state jury’s $744 million award at risk of renewed challenges.
• The justices said Chevron plausibly acted under federal direction during World War II, which fits the federal-officer removal law that lets such cases be heard in federal court.
• Justice Clarence Thomas wrote the opinion and Justice Samuel Alito recused because of a financial interest, and the judgment drew no dissents.
• More than 40 related Louisiana cases could now pivot to federal court, which may slow trials, change motion practice and jury pools, and shift settlement leverage, even as state officials vow to press the claims.