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Groton Daily Independent
Friday, Aug. 25, 2017 ~ Vol. 25 - No. 056 ~ 19 of 65
positions. Stras was one of 10 judicial nominations made at the time.
By contrast, when then-Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Wilhelmina Wright was nominated to a federal
judgeship by President Barack Obama in 2015, Klobuchar returned her blue slip the same day she received it. Franken returned his one day after getting it.
But Klobuchar denied blocking Stras’ appointment during an interview on Minnesota Public Radio News on Thursday, saying she’s met with Stras once already and plans to meet with him again before deciding whether to allow the nomination to proceed.
A spokesman for Franken said this week that the Democratic senator is still reviewing Stras’ “lengthy record” before giving his approval, faulting the White House for putting Stras’ name forward without con- sulting his of ce about possible candidates.
“Rather than discuss how senators traditionally approached circuit court vacancies or talk about a range of potential candidates, the White House made clear its intention to nominate Justice Stras from the out- set,” spokesman Michael Dale-Stein said.
Stras is a former law professor who clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Stras declined to comment on his pending nomination through a Supreme Court spokesman on Thursday.
Klobuchar signaled greater concern about the state’s vacant U.S. Attorney position. The state’s former U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, resigned in March at Trump’s request. No permanent replacement has surfaced.
“We need a name from the White House,” Klobuchar said. “If it goes on another 2 months, I’ll say I’m mad.”
Groups sued by pipeline company decry attack on free speech By BLAKE NICHOLSON, Associated Press
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Environmental groups being sued by the developer of the Dakota Access oil pipeline say the lawsuit is an attack on free speech and an effort to punish supporters of American Indian tribes that oppose the project over fears of environmental harm.
Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners on Tuesday led a lawsuit against Greenpeace, BankTrack and Earth First, alleging they disseminated false and misleading information about the project, interfered with its construction and damaged the company’s reputation and nances through illegal acts.
The lawsuit led in federal court in North Dakota cites “a pattern of criminal activity and a campaign of misinformation for purposes of increasing donations and advancing their political or business agendas,” and seeks damages that could approach $1 billion.
BankTrack called the allegations “outrageous” and maintained it did nothing wrong in informing the public and commercial banks about the potential impact of the $3.8 billion pipeline to move North Dakota oil to a distribution point in Illinois. It also denied it bene ted nancially from its efforts.
“BankTrack considers the lawsuit an attempt ... to silence civil society organizations, and to curb their crucial role in helping to foster business conduct globally that protects the environment, recognizes the rights and interests of all stakeholders, and respects human rights,” the group said in a statement.
Greenpeace attorney Tom Wetterer said the lawsuit was meritless, “harassment by corporate bullies” and an effort “to silence free speech.”
Michael Bowe, one of the company’s attorneys, countered that the response by Greenpeace “was not to defend the truth of its challenged statements, but to attack the lawyers who exposed those statements as false.”
“Our laws hold accountable those who intentionally make demonstrably false statements, and there is no special exception for Greenpeace,” Bowe said.
Earth First did not reply to Associated Press requests for comment.
Earthjustice, whose attorneys are representing the Standing Rock Sioux tribe in a federal lawsuit that aims to shut down the pipeline, isn’t a defendant in the lawsuit but is mentioned throughout as being part of a vast network of groups and people who allegedly conspired against the pipeline.