'Shocking and inappropriate': Legal experts slam judges' guide over climate bias claims

Critics have said the fourth edition of the Federal Judicial Center's Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence - which includes a foreword by Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan - appears to blur the line between neutrally educating judges and indoctrinating them with left-wing advocates' prose.

The approximately 1,600-page guide was released at the beginning of the year and includes several citations and footnotes to climate change activists and proponents, including climatologist Michael Mann and environmental law expert Jessica Wentz.

Jordan and Issa found evidence of efforts to "influence judges who potentially may be presiding over lawsuits related to alleged climate change claims… [which] appear to have the underlying goal of predisposing federal judges in favor of plaintiffs alleging injuries from the manufacturing, marketing, use, or sale of fossil-fuel products."

A spokesperson for the institute told Fox News Digital at the time that CJP's curriculum is "fact-based and science-first, grounded in consensus reports and developed with a robust peer review process" and that suggestions otherwise are "without merit."

Wentz, who is also a senior fellow at Columbia's Sabin Center for Climate Law, is listed as chief author of the section, along with fellow university faculty Radley Horton, on page 1561.

She also signed an amicus brief supporting the Obama administration's environmental regulations after multiple states filed lawsuits against the EPA in 2016.  

Nonetheless, legal experts warned of the potential repercussions down the line of having such prominent contributors in what is supposed to be an apolitical anthology.

"It is alarming to see how far the Left has gone in its blatant effort to capture the judiciary. Its feeding of trial lawyers' climate 'science' to sitting judges who will decide contentious litigation in this area short-circuits our system of justice," said Carrie Severino, a former law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and president of the Judicial Crisis Network.

"When they can't pass their extreme policies into law, they are attempting to use the courts as an end run around the legislative process," said Severino, whose organization has helped vet judicial nominees, including Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett.

"The whole section of the guide is shockingly inappropriate-and if you look at the organizational meeting at the National Academies, intentionally so," Fragoso said.

"But when you dig into it, it only gets worse. The section on attribution 'science,' for example, was lifted in large part by a previous article written by the two authors and Michael Burger, who is himself a climate-plaintiff lawyer."

The House Judiciary Committee previously alleged CJP's efforts appear to have the underlying goal of predisposing federal judges in favor of plaintiffs involved in climate litigation.

When asked about criticisms of her role in crafting the guide, Wentz told Fox News Digital, "no comment." Mann did not respond to a request for comment.

Fox News Digital's Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.