The U.S. National Security Agency, State Armor, submitted a report to Congress on Tuesday (June 30), urging Congress to investigate the Environmental Law Institute (ELI) linked to the Chinese government.
According to ELI’s website, since 2018, the organization has provided environmental law training to over 2,000 American judges through its Climate Justice Project (CJP). State Armor claims that in its decades of work related to China, ELI has established connections with entities tied to or associated with the Chinese government, its intelligence system, and military research system.
The report released by State Armor states that on the global stage of climate policy, a dangerous asymmetrical situation has emerged: China has infiltrated U.S. institutions to serve its own interests by undermining the U.S. energy industry. ELI has been a key organization in this regard. The organization aligns with China’s geopolitical agenda, undermining U.S. energy resilience and providing valuable intelligence and coordination support on Western countries’ climate policy to Chinese entities.
Over the past few decades, ELI has positioned itself as a pioneer in international environmental cooperation, claiming its mission is to promote innovative, fair, and practical legal and policy solutions at a transnational level. However, the report reveals a different truth about ELI’s actual operations, collaborations, and measurable outcomes.
The report further states that upon careful review, ELI has formed an extensive collaboration network with institutions directly linked to the Chinese government, its intelligence system, and military-industrial complex.
State Armor’s report identifies ELI’s Climate Justice Project (CJP) as a critical point of influence. This judicial education project has provided climate science and legal training to over 2,000 American judges. However, the report suggests that the CJP does not provide neutral teaching materials to judges but instead offers biased materials that advocate for holding energy companies legally responsible and use litigation as a means of regulating the energy industry. The materials used in the CJP are authored and funded by individuals with political or economic interests in the outcomes of the cases being litigated, often without disclosing these relationships to the participating judges.
In a letter to congressional leadership, State Armor writes, “The issue is not whether judges should receive ongoing education but whether any educational program funded, organized, or influenced by foreign entities, especially those associated with adversarial nations, will impact the actuality of judicial impartiality or public perception.”
State Armor believes that such connections could have implications for the U.S. domestically. The report mentions that the judicial framework promoted by ELI to American judges clearly leans towards enhancing regulatory constraints on domestic energy production while lacking corresponding constraints within the Chinese system. This is seen as ELI advancing a case of the U.S. unilaterally surrendering energy security and industrial production.
When asked about its relationship with China, ELI told Fox Digital News that its projects in China ceased in 2024 and denied criticisms of working specifically to advance the interests of the Chinese government.
The spokesperson for ELI stated, “For over fifty years, ELI has been committed to strengthening environmental protection in dozens of countries. Our project in China ended in 2024, but this is consistent with our usual work—sharing evidence-based best practices in environmental regulation, not serving any government interests. The CJP did not conduct any projects in China.”
Fox News reported that despite ELI’s claims of halting work in China, the organization continues to advance academic research related to China and collaborate with individuals affiliated with the Chinese government. However, Fox News did not find any projects undertaken by ELI in China since 2024.
State Armor urges Congress to review the scope of ELI’s cooperation with Chinese entities and scrutinize the sources of funding, curriculum development, expert selection, and governance structure of its judicial education programs.
U.S. Senator Tom Cotton stated, “Judges who have been trained by or collaborated with Communist China should not exist in our judicial system. If these allegations are true, they will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
Senator Ted Cruz launched a lengthy battle against ELI, stating that the organization’s ties with the Chinese government have caused substantial harm to the U.S.
“We are currently witnessing a systematic attack on American energy. The radical left, supported and funded by the Chinese Communist Party, is launching a coordinated attack, attempting to control our courts and weaponize litigation to target American energy producers,” Cruz said in a hearing in June 2025. “The judicial system itself is being quietly captured and brainwashed, with left-wing, non-profit organizations conducting closed-door training sessions to indoctrinate judges, compelling them to abandon the rule of law and adjudicate based on predetermined political narratives.”
“The most insidious is judicial capture, as it strikes at the core of the rule of law,” Cruz said. “They claim to be science-driven, but in reality, they are indoctrinating judges unilaterally, forcing them to abandon the rule of law and make judgments according to predetermined political narratives.”
State Armor is operated by Michael Lucci. According to a profile in The Wall Street Journal in April 2025, State Armor does not disclose the identities of its funders to protect them from interference by the Chinese government. Lucci stated that his organization refuses to accept funding from businesses and foreign sources to avoid any suspicions of conflicts of interest.