In 2015, 21 young Americans charged the U.S. government with violating their constitutional right to life, liberty and property by promoting fossil fuels, endangering Americans’ health and America’s environmental stability. The lawsuit never went to trial, though, and on Monday, it died when the U.S. Supreme Court declined an appeal of its dismissal.

The cause lives on, however, as a blueprint for state-level action. Last year, Hawaii settled with youth plaintiffs in Navahine v. Hawaii Department of Transportation, agreeing to eliminate carbon dioxide emissions from state traffic systems — and recognizing a public trust responsibility to protect the environment.