‘Malign Influence Across All Levels of Government’: House Chairman Eyes Potential China Influence in US Judiciary in Climate Cases

A legal group that runs an education program for judges on climate issues has had an overly close association with China, raising concerns about foreign influence in environmental cases, a national security think tank alleges in a report.

The group State Armor released a report about the Environmental Law Institute’s relationships with Chinese government-affiliated entities. The think tank also sent a letter asking for a congressional investigation into the institute’s ties to China.

The report says the Environmental Law Institute has maintained a longstanding relationship with Chinese government-affiliated organizations and institutions through its China Program. At the same time that the China Program was operating, the organization ran the Climate Judiciary Project, which offered continuing education for judges on legal issues related to environmental and climate cases.

Committee chairs on Monday did not yet commit to an investigation.

However, Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Mich., chairman of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, noted the reported ties to China are concerning.

“The CCP is actively taking advantage of our open society and attempting to advance its malign influence across all levels of government,” Moolenaar told the Daily Signal in a statement. “The ethical duty to avoid even the appearance of impropriety is a foundational pillar of the American judiciary. U.S. judges should closely vet the programs they participate in and never take part in training sponsored by CCP-linked United Front groups.”

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Michael Lucci, CEO of State Armor, sent the letter to the chairmen of relevant House and Senate committees asking for an investigation. The letter was addressed to Moolenaar; Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa; House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio; House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Brett Guthrie, R-Ky.; and Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Mike Lee, R-Utah.

“Congress has increasingly recognized that the CCP often utilizes ostensibly academic, professional, and nonprofit relationships to advance strategic objectives and cultivate influence within foreign institutions,” the letter states. “The report raises legitimate questions about whether ELI’s activities may have extended beyond traditional educational exchange and whether Chinese entities exercised meaningful influence over ELI’s priorities, programming, or policy initiatives.”

“Such an inquiry should assess the nature of ELI’s partnerships, the extent of information sharing, the role of Chinese government-affiliated organizations in shaping programs and initiatives, and whether any activities warrant additional scrutiny under existing foreign influence statutes,” Lucci added.

An Environmental Law Institute spokesperson said the organization stopped working with China two years ago, and the China Program has never overlapped with the judicial program.

“For over 50 years, ELI has worked to strengthen environmental protections in dozens of countries,” the Environmental Law Institute spokesperson said. “Our programming in China concluded in 2024, but was no different than our typical work in the United States—sharing evidence-based best practices on environmental regulation, not advancing the interests of the Chinese government or the Chinese Communist Party. ELI has never received any funding from the Chinese government, Chinese-based organizations, or Chinese-based businesses, and the Climate Judiciary Project has not conducted any programming in China.”

The spokesperson said the goal of the Climate Judiciary Project is “to provide judges with the tools they need to understand climate science.”

“CJP does not participate in litigation, coordinate with any parties related to any litigation, or advise judges on how to rule on any issue or in any case,” he said.

On a similar front last month, Guthrie, the House Energy and Commerce Committee chairman, sent a letter along with subcommittee chairmen Reps. John Joyce, R-Pa., and Bob Latta, R-Ohio, to FBI Director Kash Patel and the co-chairs of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, requesting information on evidence of China and other foreign influence campaigns aimed at slowing American artificial intelligence development.

The State Armor report “ELI and Communist China: How the Environmental Law Institute Threatens American Energy and Advances Chinese Interests” says the Environmental Law Institute’s judicial education promoted climate-related legal theories to more than 2,000 judges.

The report says the Environmental Law Institute has also provided legal and policy analysis to Chinese universities, Chinese regulators, and other organizations in the country. This includes organizations that have links to the Chinese Communist Party and intelligence networks, according to the report.

The report argues there is very little evidence that the law institute’s engagement with China has led to policies toward reduced pollution. Conversely, the report contends it has caused harm to American energy.