The court announced the move in a one-sentence letter from clerk Scott S. Harris on Monday, giving no reason for Alito's decision to step aside. The Supreme Court will hear the case at the start of its new term on Monday, Oct. 5.
Boulder first filed the complaint in 2018, arguing that ExxonMobil and Suncor deceived consumers about the harm caused by fossil fuels. The lawsuit is one of roughly two dozen similar climate cases making their way through state courts across the country, and the outcome here could shape how those other cases play out.
That's the real weight of this recusal. With one fewer justice hearing arguments, the remaining eight could split evenly, a scenario that would leave a lower court's ruling standing without setting a nationwide precedent.
Nobody outside the court knows why Alito bowed out, and the justices aren't required to explain.