From our allies at Climate Direct Action: Contact: Stephen Kent, skent@kentcom.com , 914-589-5988 [Cavalier, North Dakota – October 6, 2017] The landmark trial of Michael Foster, a mental health counselor in his 50s from Seattle, just ended in conviction on several felony charges for his action of shutting off the emergency valve on the Keystone 1 tar sands pipeline...
Category: Updates
August 10, 2017August 22, 2017
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Activists Explain Disruption of Dakota Access Pipeline
On July 24th, Ruby Montoya and Jessica Reznicek publicly explained how and why they had disrupted construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline for months. They detailed how they targeted pipeline infrastructure, and stated: “[C]ourts and public officials allowed these corporations to steal permissions from landowners and brutalize the land, water, and people. Our conclusion is...
June 24, 2017June 24, 2017
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Sentence for “Valve-Turner” Climate Activist Ken Ward: No More Jail Time
From our allies at Climate Direct Action: June 23, 2017 Contact: Jay O’Hara 7743130881 oharjo@gmail.com Sabotage Charge Dropped; Ward and Supporters Vow to Overturn His One Remaining Conviction [Mt. Vernon, Washington — June 23, 2017] Climate activist Ken Ward, the “valve turner” who was arrested and prosecuted for closing the emergency valve on an oil sands...
June 7, 2017June 7, 2017
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After Court Restricts Constitutional Right to Defense, Climate Activist Receives Split Verdict for Pipeline Protest
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE JUNE 7, 2017 Contact: Kelsey Skaggs Climate Defense Project (510) 883-3118 kelsey@climatedefenseproject.org Mount Vernon, WA — Following controversial court rulings restricting his right to present a defense, climate activist Ken Ward received a split verdict today in a trial in Skagit County, Washington. Mr. Ward was found guilty of burglary, a Class...
May 10, 2017May 11, 2017
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Judge Denies Climate Activist’s Necessity Defense, Restricting Right to Defend Protest at Trial
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MAY 10, 2017 Contact: Kelsey Skaggs Climate Defense Project (510) 883-3118 kelsey@climatedefenseproject.org Jay O’Hara Climate Disobedience Center (774) 313-0881 jay@climatedisobedience.org Mount Vernon, WA — A Washington state judge has ruled that Ken Ward, a climate activist who who helped to temporarily block the flow of tar sands oil from Canada to the...
March 6, 2017March 6, 2017
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CDP’s Kelsey Skaggs Featured in Necessity Defense Panel Discussion at Public Interest Environmental Law Conference
On March 4, as part of a panel discussion at the University of Oregon School of Law’s annual Public Interest Environmental Law Conference, CDP Co-Founder and Executive Director Kelsey Skaggs spoke about the necessity defense and its applicability to climate activism. The discussion — which also featured law professors Tom Lininger and Lance Long, activist...
March 2, 2017March 2, 2017
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CDP Political Necessity Defense Jurisdiction Guide: Spreading Knowledge for Legal Activism
CDP has just published the Political Necessity Defense Jurisdiction Guide, a comprehensive resource on the necessity defense and its application to political protest. The necessity defense is an age-old legal doctrine that lets individuals off the hook for breaking the law in the public interest. In recent decades, necessity defenses have been successfully used by...
February 17, 2017February 17, 2017
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Climate Defense Project Files Amicus Brief in Delta 5 Case
On February 14, the Climate Defense Project (CDP) filed an amicus curiae (“friend of the court”) brief in State v. Brockway, the case of the Delta 5 climate activists who blocked a crude oil train in Bellingham, Washington in 2014. The CDP brief argues that the Delta 5 protest was necessary — and that the trial court...
February 6, 2017April 24, 2017
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CDP Author: Here’s How Eco-Activists Can Fight Trump
Activist Ken Ward admits he broke the law when he shut off a tar sands pipeline, but the surprising outcome of his trial suggests a path forward for environmentalists opposing Trump. An article by Ted Hamilton for The Daily Beast.
February 1, 2017February 1, 2017
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Trial of Pipeline Protester Ken Ward Ends with Hung Jury
CLIMATE DEFENSE PROJECT AND CIVIL LIBERTIES DEFENSE CENTER PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 1, 2017 Contact: Lauren Regan, 541.687.9180 PIPELINE PROTESTER TRIAL ENDS WITH HUNG JURY IN VICTORY FOR CLIMATE MOVEMENT Mount Vernon, WA — In a victory for the climate movement, a jury was unable to reach a verdict in the trial of...