Share

US judge: Construction on Obama center should proceed

Share

CHICAGO (AP) — Plans to build Barack Obama’s $500 million presidential center on Chicago’s lakefront can move forward, a federal judge said Tuesday in dismissing an advocacy group’s lawsuit objecting to the use of historic public parkland.

After hearing nearly an hour of arguments, U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey said there should be “no delay in construction.”

“This case is dismissed,” he said.

Blakey’s quick announcement in court surprised many. He later issued a detailed, 52-page ruling in which he called the park advocacy group’s arguments unconvincing.

Protect Our Parks’ lawsuit, along with a federal review, has halted progress on the planned state-of-the-art museum and library that was supposed to open in 2021 in Jackson Park. The 500-acre park along Lake Michigan is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Trending:
Federal Judge Has Bad News for Hunter Biden, Says There's Zero Evidence His Charges Are Politically Motivated

Among other things, Protect Our Parks argued the city illegally transferred land for the park to The Obama Foundation, a private entity overseeing construction of the center. In court, Protect Our Parks attorney Mark Roth accused the city of allowing a “massive giveaway” to the foundation and questioned the public benefit.

Meanwhile, lawyers for the city contended the whole museum was a public benefit itself, along with plans to maintain the park grounds. City attorneys have also accused the parks group of misreading the law and misrepresenting how the land approval works.

In siding with the city, Blakey said the center “surely provides a multitude of benefits to the public” including “a range of cultural, artistic, and recreational opportunities.”

Roth said the parks group planned to appeal and would look at other legal options to halt construction.

“I’m bitterly disappointed,” Roth told news reporters outside court.

The site of the center — which is to include a digital presidential library, public library branch, recording studio, classroom space and personal artifacts — is near where the former president began his political career and lived with his family before moving to the White House. The facility, on 20 acres of the park, will be paid for with private donations.

Obama has traveled back to Chicago to attend community meetings since leaving the White House, touting the center as a “premier institution” for youth leadership that will also revitalize the area and create thousands of jobs.

“Our vision for the Obama Presidential Center has always been one where the location reinforces the project’s core aims: a celebration of history, a place of connection and engagement for the public, and an investment in community,” Obama Foundation CEO David Simas said in a statement.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who took office last month, called the decision a significant step forward. In a statement she said she’d work to ensure the center “creates unprecedented cultural opportunities and economic growth.”

Related:
Former MSNBC Host Chuck Todd Furious After Network Hires Former RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel

While the library has also faced criticism from residents over the traffic it will bring and people it will displace, Tuesday’s decision was largely celebrated by neighborhood organizations and business groups that said the center will bring more opportunities to a section of Chicago that includes low-income neighborhoods.

“This is a benefit to our community,” said Erin Adams, a single mom who lives nearby and uses the park often.

___

Follow Sophia Tareen on Twitter at https://twitter.com/sophiatareen .

The Western Journal has not reviewed this Associated Press story prior to publication. Therefore, it may contain editorial bias or may in some other way not meet our normal editorial standards. It is provided to our readers as a service from The Western Journal.

Truth and Accuracy

Submit a Correction →



We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

Tags:
Share
The Associated Press is an independent, not-for-profit news cooperative headquartered in New York City. Their teams in over 100 countries tell the world’s stories, from breaking news to investigative reporting. They provide content and services to help engage audiences worldwide, working with companies of all types, from broadcasters to brands. Photo credit: @AP on Twitter
The Associated Press was the first private sector organization in the U.S. to operate on a national scale. Over the past 170 years, they have been first to inform the world of many of history's most important moments, from the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the bombing of Pearl Harbor to the fall of the Shah of Iran and the death of Pope John Paul.

Today, they operate in 263 locations in more than 100 countries relaying breaking news, covering war and conflict and producing enterprise reports that tell the world's stories.
Location
New York City




Conversation