Beginning on Monday, June 12, 2023, in the Lewis & Clark County District Court in Helena, Judge Kathy Seely presiding, attorneys for 16 youth plaintiffs in the case of Held v. State of Montana began. We have recorded the proceedings via Zoom, and produced for you this daily audio digest.

Judge Seely opened the second day of this trial at 9 a.m on June 13, 2023, one year to the day of the Great Yellowstone River flood of 2022, which closed Yellowstone National Park, and wreaked havoc along the path of the river, including Livingston, hometown of one of the youth plaintiffs, Eva.

Today’s hearing began with expert testimony from Dr. Cathy Whitlock, an earth scientist and professor emeritus at Montana State University, who is an expert in environmental change and paleoclimatology, and was a lead author of the 2017 Montana Climate Assessment. http://kgvm.org/show/held-dr-cathy-whitlock-testimony-6-13-23/

Dr. Whitlock was followed by testimony from youth plaintiff, Mica K. http://kgvm.org/show/held-v-state-of-montana-mica-testimony-6-13-23/

After Mica, youth plaintiff, Badge Busse, testified. http://kgvm.org/show/held-v-state-of-montana-badge-testimony-6-13-23/

Dr. Daniel Fagre testified about his work studying the effects of climate change in Glacier National Park. http://kgvm.org/show/held-v-state-of-montana-dr-dan-fagre-6-13-23/

The final expert witness on this second day of the Held v State of Montana trial was pediatrician, Dr Lori Byron. http://kgvm.org/show/held-v-state-of-montana-dr-lori-byron-testimony-6-13-23/

The trial is scheduled to resume at 9 am on Wednesday, June 14, 2023, and we will continue to produce this daily digest of the proceedings.

‘I’m a prisoner in my own home,’ asthma sufferer, 15, tells landmark US climate trial https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jun/13/montana-landmark-us-climate-trial

Love of the Land and Community Inspired the Montana Youths Whose Climate Lawsuit Against the State Goes to Court This Week https://insideclimatenews.org/news/12062023/love-of-the-land-and-community-inspired-the-montana-youths-whose-climate-lawsuit-against-the-state-goes-to-court-this-week/