Obama Presidential Center Location

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7^th Circuit Court of Appeals

Case Name: Protect Our Parks, Inc. v. Pete Buttigieg

Case No.: 22-3190

Officials: Rovner, Wood, and Hamilton, Circuit Judges.

Focus: Obama Presidential Center Location

A group known as Protect Our Parks, Inc. (POP) has been contesting the chosen location for the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago’s historic Jackson Park. Despite POP’s objections, the Center, currently in progress, is being constructed on a site designated by the Barack Obama Foundation. POP contends that the park should have been preserved and that alternative locations for the Center were available. Leveraging various federal and state laws, they have presented several arguments aiming to halt the construction of the Center within the park.

Previously, POP sought a court order to pause construction until its federal law arguments were resolved. However, the court denied this request for a preliminary injunction, citing POP’s failure to demonstrate a likelihood of success with their contentions. Additionally, the district court rejected POP’s plea to modify its pleadings and dismissed their state law claims. Subsequently, the district court ruled in favor of the opposing party on the federal law issues.

In the Seventh Circuit, POP sought to overturn the district court’s final ruling entirely. Nevertheless, the appellate court found POP’s arguments lacking in persuasion and detected no legal flaws in the earlier assessment of POP’s case. The court also affirmed the dismissal of POP’s state law claims and upheld the district court’s decision not to allow POP to amend its complaint.

Affirmed.

Decided 04/08/24

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