The Supreme Court on April 17, 2026 vacated and remanded a state court judgment against Chevron, ruling eight to zero in Chevron USA Inc. v. Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana.
The majority opinion, written by Justice Thomas, held Chevron had plausibly alleged a close relationship between its challenged crude-oil production and its federal aviation gas refining duties.
The Court concluded Chevron satisfied the "relating to" requirement of the federal officer removal statute, and it returned the matter to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for further proceedings.
Justice Jackson issued an opinion concurring in the judgment, and Justice Alito took no part in the consideration of the case.
Reactions And Legal Implications
The ruling is narrow and technical, but it undercuts a $745 million Plaquemines Parish jury verdict and could affect similar suits elsewhere, as reported by news accounts.
The justices did not decide the merits of the $745 million verdict, instead finding the lower courts erred in denying Chevron’s request to move the case to federal court.
The 5th Circuit previously sided with the state, finding no specific federal instruction tied to crude discovery, a "casual nexus" the Supreme Court rejected.
Chevron said the claims arose from activities performed under federal supervision during World War II, and the company looks forward to litigating these matters in federal court, Chevron spokesperson Matias Miranda Vaira said.
Plaintiffs’ lawyer John Carmouche said the parish accepts the court’s decision despite strong disagreement and intends to pursue the cases in federal court and other venues.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill noted a local jury found Chevron liable for toxic waste dumped into marshes and expressed confidence a federal forum will yield the same result.
The dispute stems from 2013 litigation by local parishes and the state, which filed 42 lawsuits alleging historic oil production damaged wetlands, and lawyers said the ruling affects 11 of those 42 cases.
