Filed Date: March 23, 2026
Case Ongoing
Clearinghouse coding in progress
On March 23, 2026, the State of California filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California against the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The case arose from a dispute over onshore oil pipelines along the Santa Barbara coast that had been shut down in 2015 following a catastrophic rupture that spilled over 120,000 gallons of oil onto Refugio State Beach. The pipeline operator, Sable Offshore Corporation, was allegedly desperate to restart the pipelines due to severe undercapitalization and pressure from ExxonMobil, which financed the acquisition⁻⁻. On March 13, 2026, Secretary Wright allegedly issued an order under the Defense Production Act (the "Wright Order") directing Sable to immediately restart the pipelines, despite outstanding preliminary injunctions, lack of necessary permits, and violations of state and federal law. Sable allegedly restarted the pipelines the next day, March 14, 2026, in direct violation of court orders and regulatory requirements. California brought this action under federal question jurisdiction, asserting claims under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) and constitutional grounds. The state alleged that the Wright Order violated the APA by being contrary to law and in excess of statutory authority, as well as arbitrary and capricious. California also asserted constitutional claims for violations of separation of powers and the Tenth Amendment regarding sovereign state interests⁻. The state sought a judicial declaration that the Wright Order was unconstitutional and unlawful, vacatur of the order, and an injunction preventing defendants from using the order to authorize pipeline operations without necessary state approvals and court order compliance⁻.
This case is ongoing.
Summary Authors
Claire Pollard (3/27/2026)
For PACER's information on parties and their attorneys, see: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72533198/parties/state-of-california-v-wright/
Seeborg, Richard G. (California)
Almendras, Annadel A. (California)
Beck, Dennis L. (California)
Hunter, Rebecca (California)
Roessler, Alicia Irene (California)
See docket on RECAP: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72533198/state-of-california-v-wright/
Last updated April 20, 2026, 3:10 a.m.
State / Territory:
Case Type(s):
Special Collection(s):
Trump Administration 2.0: Challenges to the Government
Key Dates
Filing Date: March 23, 2026
Case Ongoing: Yes
Case Details
Other Dockets:
Northern District of California 3:26-cv-02500
Available Documents:
Case Summary of State of California v. Wright, Civil Rights Litig. Clearinghouse, https://clearinghouse.net/case/47963/ (last updated 3/27/2026).