US judge: Construction on Obama centre should proceed

Jun 11, 2019 | 10:40 AM

CHICAGO — A federal judge in Chicago says he’ll dismiss a lawsuit brought by a parks advocacy group that is trying to stop former President Barack Obama’s presidential centre from being built in a lakefront park.

U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey said there should be no delay in building the $500 million centre after hearing arguments in court Tuesday. He said a written ruling will follow later Tuesday.

Protect Our Parks argued the city illegally transferred land for a park to The Obama Foundation, a private entity overseeing construction of the centre. City lawyers accuse the group of exaggerating potential environmental problems, misreading the law and misrepresenting how the approval works.