As the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on President Obama’s Affordable Care Act came down today, I was reminded of how remarkable our justice system really is.  It’s a system of finely-tuned checks and balances that determine every branch of government’s role and boundaries within the Constitution.  Regardless of your own personal beliefs about the validity of said law, we can all applaud the foundation upon which our country rests…the rule of law.  Where facts still matter and justice prevails.

This is also true about another important federal court ruling this week on climate change.  On Tuesday, the federal appeals court in Washington delivered a resounding victory for science, the rule of law, and common sense by upholding the Environmental Protection Agency’s landmark regulations aimed at curbing carbon pollution.   

In Coalition for Responsible Regulation v. EPA, the appeals court unanimously rejected each and every attack from the coal companies, power companies, trade associations, and ultra-conservative elected officials including Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (aka “crazy cooch”) that have sought to stop EPA from meeting its mission under the Clean Air Act to protect the American people from the dangers of rapid global climate change. The court’s ruling clears the way for EPA to keep moving forward under the Clean Air Act to limit carbon pollution from motor vehicles, new power plants, and other big industrial sources.

But who benefits most from this important decision? Not environmental law professors who respect “precedent-setting” decisions in this field of law. Not climate scientists who feel vindicated. Not even polar bears or artic sea creatures that face a daunting fight for existence due to climate change…..

But these people. My innocent children.

And your children, and all children. In this increasingly divided nation, decisions like Coalition for Responsible Regulation v. EPA make me confident that the “arch of justice” bends towards protecting the innocent. Truth, facts and science still win the day in the US courts.