Court rules bigly against Trump in Dakota Access case

Another loss in court dashes President Trump’s pipe dream this week, as a federal judge found the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ approval of the Dakota Access Pipeline unlawful. The judge ruled that the Army Corps failed to “adequately consider the impacts of an oil spill on fishing rights, hunting rights, or environmental justice, or the degree to which the pipeline’s effects are likely to be highly controversial.” Two Native American tribes—together with thousands of protestors—have tried for more than a year to stop the pipeline, which threatens their water supply and sacred sites. Trump issued an executive memorandum fast-tracking Dakota Access earlier this year, after which the Army Corps granted the easement. This shut down the environmental review process for the 1.5 miles of the pipeline that run under the Missouri River and Oahe Reservoir. Now the judge must decide whether to stop the oil. Tribal leaders plan to request this at a hearing set for June 21.