A coalition of Republican attorneys general called on the National Academy of Sciences to remove a climate change chapter from a federal judicial reference manual, arguing that it amounts to political advocacy funded by taxpayers, the Daily Wire reported Thursday.
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen led the effort, sending a letter to National Academy of Sciences President Marcia McNutt demanding she "take action" to eliminate the "climate science" section from the "Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence: Fourth Edition," which is used as a handbook for federal judges.
The letter was also sent to incoming NAS President Neil Shubin.
The attorneys general said the chapter was written by "leftist activists" and promotes an anti-fossil fuel agenda.
They cited co-author Jessica Wentz of Columbia Law School's Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, who previously wrote that "the world needs to phase out fossil fuels as rapidly as possible," as well as Radley Horton of Columbia University's Climate School, who has said it is "absolutely critical" to "dramatically draw down emissions."
The Federal Judicial Center this month reportedly removed the climate chapter from its own version of the manual after more than two dozen Republican attorneys general warned it could improperly influence court decisions.
"Like the Federal Judicial Center, the National Academies should immediately remove the climate science chapter from all available versions of the Fourth Edition," the attorneys general wrote, to stop what they described as continued "political pamphleteering."
The attorneys general also pointed to federal funding as a key issue, writing that taxpayer dollars "should not be used for political causes," especially by an organization Congress created to provide "independent and objective scientific reports."
They noted the National Academy of Sciences receives more than $200 million in federal funding and was allocated $133 million for fiscal year 2025.
The letter claimed the chapter presents disputed climate litigation methodologies as "settled" science, while failing to acknowledge contrary views or disclose conflicts of interest from contributors involved in climate lawsuits against energy companies.
The dispute comes as the Trump administration and its allies have increasingly pushed back against what they describe as left-wing ideology embedded in taxpayer-funded institutions, including government-linked research bodies, universities, and advisory organizations.
Conservatives argue that such entities have drifted from neutral public service into activism, particularly on climate policy, energy regulation, and environmental litigation.
Multiple Republican-led states joined Knudsen's letter, including Texas, Oklahoma, Ohio, Louisiana, and West Virginia, while outside groups such as Consumers' Research also backed the effort.
American Energy CEO Jason Isaacs argued that "judicial education must explain scientific method, not normalize litigation strategies," warning that biased materials could "undermine confidence in the courts and the rule of law."
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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