The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other industry groups filed an emergency appeal on November 15, 2025, requesting the U.S. Supreme Court to put California’s climate reporting laws on hold while legal challenges continue, the AP reported. The laws take effect January 1, 2026.
SB 253, known as the Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act, requires companies with revenues of more than $1 billion to report their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions related to both operations and their supply chain.
SB 261, known as the Climate-Related Financial Risk Act, requires companies with annual revenue of more than $500 million and that do business in California to disclose publicly the climate-related financial risks to their company and how they will address them. (see Climate Reporting Laws: Comparison of Key Provisions.)
In January 2025, the Chamber of Commerce and other business groups challenged SB 253 and SB 261 as compelled speech in violation of the First Amendment.
In August, a U.S. district judge denied a motion for a preliminary injunction against the two laws on First Amendment grounds. In February, a U.S. district judge granted the state’s motion in dismissing claims that the Clean Air Act preempts the two laws and that the laws burden interstate commerce. This left remaining only the claim that the laws compel speech about climate change in violation of the First Amendment.