UPDATE

Judge Fallon, a federal judge here in New Orleans, just denied the National Trust for Historic Preservation's motion for summary judgment, which would have halted property acquisition and demolition in the VA footprint.

ADDED: Reading through the order, Fallon not only denied the National Trust summary judgment...he also granted summary judgment to the governmental entities that comprise the defendants in the case on the grounds they sought.

The Federal Suit

Here's the rundown on the footprint-related suit in federal court here in New Orleans:

A lawsuit filed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation claims that government parties violated the National Environmental Policy Act when they fast-tracked the required pre-construction review to bypass a comprehensive "environmental impact statement." Among other counterarguments, Veterans Affairs and the Federal Emergency Management Agency say they are due the court's deference when considering the methodology used in satisfying the rules that govern all construction projects financed with federal tax money.

I wasn't able to attend the summary judgment hearing on Tuesday, but I'm interested to see how Judge Fallon ultimately rules on the motions.