Free Republic

A lawsuit that aimed to stop the Obama Presidential Center from being built in Chicago’s historic Jackson Park has been dismissed by a federal judge. The crux of Protect Our Parks’ complaint is that under regulatory statutes, federal agencies should have considered relocating the proposed Obama center site entirely to avoid damage to the environment, according to the lawsuit. The city and Obama Foundation officials have said federal agencies closed the final review into the project because they determined the Obama center’s construction and nearby roadway fixes would not pose a “significant impact” on the environment - a finding the...

“The Seventh Circuit was skeptical Thursday of a parks advocacy organization’s arguments opposing the construction of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago’s Jackson Park, in a case that has left many supporters of the former president bewildered and angry. “If the Clinton Foundation had approached New York City and asked for 20 acres of Central Park for its Harlem headquarters, it would have been laughed out of court. “But that is essentially what the Obama Foundation asked of Chicago - and got, in a sweetheart deal inked under former Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who previously served as Obama’s chief of staff....

CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Construction is to begin next month on the Obama Presidential Center unless a court challenge delays it. The group Protect Our Parks has asked a federal court to hold up the start of construction of the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park on Aug. 16. In the lawsuit filed in April, the group asked the court to review and enforce the federal laws designed to “to protect local historic sites, environmental impacts, impairment of dedicated public parkland, and related community natural resources.” According to Crain’s, the matter is back in court Tuesday. Protect Our Parks has...

When people ask Jeremy Chong about his Friday night plans, they don’t get the typical college sophomore response. He and his friends usually head to downtown Chicago. But the point isn’t to party—it’s to evangelize. And thanks to a federal judge, the group of Wheaton students can finally resume that without harassment. For months, students like Chong and Matthew Swart would pass out gospel tracts at Millennium Park. They were just simple threefold pamphlets telling people about faith in Jesus Christ. “[We were] passing those out to anyone who would take [them] and having conversations when we were approached.” Simple...