Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito is under renewed scrutiny over his oil and gas stock holdings after watchdog groups argued that his involvement in major fossil fuel cases may conflict with the court's own ethics standards and further erode public trust in the judiciary.
A coalition of watchdog and environmental groups sent a letter this month urging the Senate Judiciary Committee to investigate Alito, according to the Guardian.
The groups said his decisions about when to recuse himself from oil and gas cases have been inconsistent, and he is reportedly the only sitting Supreme Court justice to hold individual stock in energy companies.
In the letter, the watchdogs note that "his irregular recusal practice in oil and gas industry-related cases is undermining public confidence and the impartiality of the Court."
The dozens of leaders asking for oversight over Alito concluded their letter saying, "If Justice Alito will not take it upon himself to follow the law, which requires his recusal from any proceeding in which his 'impartiality might reasonably be questioned,' ... the Senate Committee on the Judiciary must step in."
At the center of the concern is a case the Supreme Court agreed to hear involving Suncor Energy and Exxon. In this case, the companies want the justices to rule that federal law blocks state and local governments from bringing lawsuits over harms tied to oil and gas products, according to the Guardian.
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The letter from the watchdogs argues Alito should not take part in that case. His most recent financial disclosure, covering 2024, showed roughly hundreds of thousands of dollars in individual energy stock holdings, including ConocoPhillips and Phillips 66. The groups also pointed to as much as $100,000 in a Vanguard fund in which Exxon is one of the major holdings.
The issue is also drawing attention because Alito has handled similar matters differently in the past. In 2023, he stepped aside from an earlier petition filed by the same companies in that lawsuit. In January, he also stepped aside from a different case over harm to Louisiana's coastline after the court clerk told the parties he held ConocoPhillips stock.
The Suncor case is particularly significant because, as the Guardian reported, over 70 state and local governments have brought related suits alleging that oil companies misled the public about their contributions to global warming.
If the Supreme Court sides with the companies, it could make it much harder for communities to seek compensation for costly damage tied to stronger storms, sea-level rise, extreme heat, and other escalating threats.
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