Beginning on Monday, June 12, 2023, in the Lewis & Clark County District Court in Helena, Judge Kathy Seely presiding, attorneys for 16 youth plaintiffs in the case of Held v. State of Montana began. We have recorded the proceedings via Zoom, and produced for you this daily audio digest.

Judge Seely opened the second day of this trial at 9 a.m on June 13, 2023, one year to the day of the Great Yellowstone River flood of 2022, which closed Yellowstone National Park, and wreaked havoc along the path of the river, including Livingston, hometown of one of the youth plaintiffs, Eva.

Today’s hearing began with expert testimony from Dr. Cathy Whitlock, an earth scientist and professor emeritus at Montana State University, who is an expert in environmental change and paleoclimatology, and was a lead author of the 2017 Montana Climate Assessment.

Dr. Whitlock was followed by testimony from youth plaintiff, Mica K.

Mica K.’s testimony was followed by Dr. Daniel Fagre, who for three decades worked for the US Geological Survey mapping, photographing and documenting the dwindling of the glaciers in Glacier National Park.

Youth plaintiff, Badge, testified after Dr. Fagre.

The final expert witness on this second day of the Held v State of Montana trial was pediatrician, Dr Lori Byron.

The trial is scheduled to resume at 9 am on Wednesday, June 14, 2023, and we will continue to produce this daily digest of the proceedings.