US tries to stop youth climate lawsuit days before trial

SEATTLE (AP) — The U.S. government is trying again to stop a high-profile climate change lawsuit days before young activists are set to argue at trial that the government has violated their constitutional rights through policies that have caused a dangerous climate.

Justice Department lawyers on Thursday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to dismiss the case, saying the suit attempts to redirect federal environmental policies through the courts rather than through the political process. That court in July denied the government's previous request to dismiss the case, calling it "premature."

A group of 21 young activists, now between 11 and 22 years old and who live in Seattle and across the country, sued in federal court in Oregon in 2015.