WILLIAM BARR: Supreme Court needs to stop Louisiana grift against energy firms

Energy companies served federal wartime contracts in Louisiana 80 years ago, but now face $750 million award in coastal erosion lawsuit which deserves a fairer forum.

The conduct of these cases recalls an old problem with a clear solution. States and localities have for decades weaponized their courts to derail lawful and legitimate federal objectives.  Small bayou towns and parishes in Louisiana, in partnership with plaintiffs’ firms, have filed dozens of lawsuits blaming American energy companies for coastal erosion stemming from energy production during World War II.  William Barr is a distinguished fellow at the Hudson Institute and author of the memoir "One Damn Thing After Another." He served as U.S. attorney general, 1991-93 and 2019-20.

The conduct of these cases recalls an old problem with a clear solution. States and localities have for decades weaponized their courts to derail lawful and legitimate federal objectives. 

Here, a parochial political machine is bending Louisiana law to profiteer off of the federal government’s wartime energy practices. The answer is to remove these cases from Louisiana’s courts and adjudicate them in a fairer forum, namely federal court.