Ranchers Backing Boulder in Suncor v. Boulder Are Left-Wing Partisans, Not Disinterested Ranchers
Source: Shawn Fleetwood. "'Ranchers' Backing SCOTUS Climate Suit Are Left-Wing Activists." October 8, 2026. thefederalist.com
The Gist
The author argues that the ranchers who filed a brief backing Boulder's climate lawsuit aren't just ordinary ranchers sharing their hardships. He says many are left-wing activists with ties to progressive groups and donors, and one made extreme posts about Trump and the Supreme Court. So he suggests the brief is political theater, not a neutral account.
Conclusion
The self-described ranchers who signed the amicus brief supporting Boulder in Suncor v. Boulder are largely radical left-wing partisans and/or have ties to Democratic-aligned dark money networks, so their brief should be seen as a politically driven part of climate lawfare rather than a genuine expression of rancher hardship.
Premises
- Several of the seven amici ranchers attended a protest outside the Supreme Court organized by left-wing climate activist groups (Fossil Free Media and the Center for Climate Integrity).
- Kathryn Bedell is a Democratic appointee to Colorado's Agricultural Commission and chaired an agriculture campaign team at WORC, a left-leaning coalition that opposes fossil fuel development and receives grants from funders such as the Tides Foundation, the Bezos Earth Fund, and the Windward Fund.
- Bedell has posted on social media in hostile terms about Trump, Republicans, and the Supreme Court, including reposting content comparing the Trump-led U.S. to Nazi Germany and a post suggesting officials and Justice Thomas should be 'hanged.'
- Other amici ranchers hold leftist institutional ties: Deirdre Macnab was former president of the League of Women Voters of Florida, Jay Fetcher sits on the board of Conservation Colorado, and Mike Callicrate sits on the board of the Socially Responsible Agriculture Project, all of which are tied to progressive advocacy and funders such as the Energy Foundation and the Wyss Foundation.
- Some of these funders (e.g., Tides) also fund Sher Edling, the law firm backing Boulder and other localities' climate-damages suits against energy companies, linking the ranchers' networks to the litigation effort.
Assumptions
- Political affiliations, activism, and funding ties of amici undermine the credibility or sincerity of their claims about climate harm to ranching.
- Being funded by or affiliated with progressive foundations constitutes 'dark money' involvement and shows coordination with the litigation.
- The ranchers' personal views and social media posts (especially Bedell's) are representative of all the amici ranchers.
- The brief is a strategic, politically motivated effort aimed at Justice Gorsuch rather than a sincere presentation of lived experience.
- The ranchers' political leanings are relevant to the legal question before the Court.