Well, that was embarrassing. After spending nearly four years trying to nail Exxon Mobil for myriad climate-change deceptions, New York’s attorney general was excoriated Tuesday by a state judge for making “hyperbolic” claims and essentially trying to deceive the court.

In case readers missed it—and no doubt New York Attorney General Letitia James hopes you did—State Supreme Court Judge Barry Ostrager (appointed by Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo ) dismissed New York’s lawsuit alleging that Exxon violated the state’s Martin Act. That securities law merely requires that a “reasonable” investor might have been misled regardless of whether there was fraudulent intent, but the AG couldn’t even meet this low bar.