OREGON — A Montana court ruled in favor of 16 youth plaintiffs in Held v. State of Montana in August 2023, with the decision upheld by the Montana Supreme Court in December 2024. Public interest environmental lawyer Julia Olson represented the plaintiffs in the case, which invalidated a state statute prohibiting regulators from considering greenhouse gas emissions when issuing permits.

Olson is co-executive director and chief legal counsel for Our Children's Trust. She founded the nonprofit law firm in 2010 to provide pro bono legal representation for children in climate-related cases. The organization continues litigation to ensure state compliance with the Held v. State of Montana ruling. The Montana Constitution guarantees a right to a "clean and healthful environment."

Our Children's Trust filed Juliana v. United States, a youth climate lawsuit against the federal government, in 2015. The plaintiffs argued that federal promotion of fossil fuel use violated their right to a livable environment. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case in March 2025.

Held marked the first youth-led constitutional climate lawsuit in U.S. history to proceed to trial. Olson said, "The early wins in that case really helped launch the youth climate movement, and it inspired youth across the world."

Olson said the case helped transform climate change into a children's rights issue. She said, "If we can center children—their health and safety, and their opportunities in the future—in the way we govern ourselves, then every community will be healthier."

No independent assessment of Julia Olson’s claims was available.