Supreme Court Backs Michigan Keeping Line 5 Shutdown Lawsuit In State Court
The Supreme Court ruled this week that Michigan can keep its lawsuit seeking to shut down the Line 5 pipeline in state court, a decision that preserves Michigan's power to enforce its shutdown order (PBS News).
The decision rejects a move by the pipeline operator and others to transfer the fight to federal court and clears the way for Michigan judges to consider the state's safety and environmental claims. The ruling lifts a legal hurdle to the state's bid to halt Line 5 operations while litigation continues (PBS News).
The episode traces back to a decades-old dispute over the Line 5 easement and to state efforts to close the aging pipeline that runs under the Straits of Mackinac. Michigan officials have argued the pipeline poses a serious spill risk and moved in state court to enforce their shutdown order, while the operator sought federal jurisdiction to block that move and protect its operations (PBS News).
With the Supreme Court decision in hand, the case will return to Michigan courts for hearings on the merits of the state's shutdown claims. The ruling narrows the immediate legal battlefield and keeps control of the next steps with state judges as debates over energy supply and Great Lakes safety continue (PBS News).
Show source details & analysis (1 source)
📌 Key Facts
- Supreme Court issued a unanimous opinion by Justice Sonia Sotomayor holding Enbridge missed the 30-day deadline to remove Michigan’s Line 5 case to federal court.
- Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s 2019 state suit seeks to void the easement for a 4.5-mile Line 5 segment under the Straits of Mackinac.
- The decision preserves state-court jurisdiction while other fights continue over Whitmer’s easement revocation, a proposed tunnel project, and a separate Wisconsin order to shut a Line 5 segment on tribal land.
📊 Analysis & Commentary (4)
"The piece criticizes climate and energy lawsuits—using Michigan's Line 5 litigation as a template—arguing courts are being used to achieve environmental policy ends at the expense of democratic process, energy security, and economic stability. ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/article/climate-fossil-fuel-energy-lawsuits)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/article/climate-fossil-fuel-energy-lawsuits)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/article/climate-fossil-fuel-energy-lawsuits)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/article/climate-fossil-fuel-energy-lawsuits)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/article/climate-fossil-fuel-energy-lawsuits)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/article/climate-fossil-fuel-energy-lawsuits)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/article/climate-fossil-fuel-energy-lawsuits)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/article/climate-fossil-fuel-energy-lawsuits)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/article/climate-fossil-fuel-energy-lawsuits)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/article/climate-fossil-fuel-energy-lawsuits)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/article/climate-fossil-fuel-energy-lawsuits)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/article/climate-fossil-fuel-energy-lawsuits)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/article/climate-fossil-fuel-energy-lawsuits))"
"An opinion arguing that effective climate activism focuses on pragmatic, local and legal strategies (the sort of fight exemplified by the Line 5 state‑court battle) rather than purely symbolic or disruptive tactics. ([Persuasion](https://www.persuasion.community/p/the-kind-of-climate-activism-that)) ([Persuasion](https://www.persuasion.community/p/the-kind-of-climate-activism-that)) ([Persuasion](https://www.persuasion.community/p/the-kind-of-climate-activism-that)) ([Persuasion](https://www.persuasion.community/p/the-kind-of-climate-activism-that)) ([Persuasion](https://www.persuasion.community/p/the-kind-of-climate-activism-that)) ([Persuasion](https://www.persuasion.community/p/the-kind-of-climate-activism-that)) ([Persuasion](https://www.persuasion.community/p/the-kind-of-climate-activism-that)) ([Persuasion](https://www.persuasion.community/p/the-kind-of-climate-activism-that)) ([Persuasion](https://www.persuasion.community/p/the-kind-of-climate-activism-that)) ([Persuasion](https://www.persuasion.community/p/the-kind-of-climate-activism-that)) ([Persuasion](https://www.persuasion.community/p/the-kind-of-climate-activism-that)) ([Persuasion](https://www.persuasion.community/p/the-kind-of-climate-activism-that)) ([Persuasion](https://www.persuasion.community/p/the-kind-of-climate-activism-that))"
"A City Journal commentary criticizing the growing use of state-court climate litigation—exemplified by the Line 5 fight—as a deliberate tactic by environmental advocates to shut energy infrastructure via procedural and state‑law routes, with problematic policy and practical consequences. ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/article/city-journal-daily-newsletter-apr-23-2026)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/article/city-journal-daily-newsletter-apr-23-2026)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/article/city-journal-daily-newsletter-apr-23-2026)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/article/city-journal-daily-newsletter-apr-23-2026)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/article/city-journal-daily-newsletter-apr-23-2026)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/article/city-journal-daily-newsletter-apr-23-2026)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/article/city-journal-daily-newsletter-apr-23-2026)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/article/city-journal-daily-newsletter-apr-23-2026)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/article/city-journal-daily-newsletter-apr-23-2026)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/article/city-journal-daily-newsletter-apr-23-2026)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/article/city-journal-daily-newsletter-apr-23-2026)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/article/city-journal-daily-newsletter-apr-23-2026)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/article/city-journal-daily-newsletter-apr-23-2026))"
"The City Journal/Supreme Court roundup (with Ilya Shapiro) comments on the Court’s decision to let Michigan’s Line 5 challenge remain in state court, framing it as a procedural win for state authority with wider implications for federal‑state power and how pipeline disputes will be litigated. ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/multimedia/supreme-court-opinion-roundup-with-ilya-shapiro)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/multimedia/supreme-court-opinion-roundup-with-ilya-shapiro)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/multimedia/supreme-court-opinion-roundup-with-ilya-shapiro)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/multimedia/supreme-court-opinion-roundup-with-ilya-shapiro)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/multimedia/supreme-court-opinion-roundup-with-ilya-shapiro)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/multimedia/supreme-court-opinion-roundup-with-ilya-shapiro)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/multimedia/supreme-court-opinion-roundup-with-ilya-shapiro)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/multimedia/supreme-court-opinion-roundup-with-ilya-shapiro)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/multimedia/supreme-court-opinion-roundup-with-ilya-shapiro)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/multimedia/supreme-court-opinion-roundup-with-ilya-shapiro)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/multimedia/supreme-court-opinion-roundup-with-ilya-shapiro)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/multimedia/supreme-court-opinion-roundup-with-ilya-shapiro)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/multimedia/supreme-court-opinion-roundup-with-ilya-shapiro))"
📰 Source Timeline (1)
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