No one got much judicial love at the Valentine’s Day hearing on the lawsuit aimed at keeping the Obama Presidential Center out of Jackson Park.
“Is there actually a membership?” the judge asked. “Real human beings? Taxpayers?”
After the hearing, POP president Herbert Caplan restated the crux of the case against the city and the Park District: “We cite a specific statute which limits the right of the Park District to transfer public parkland to a private party for a private use. What the mayor has done is try to work out this scam to cover up the fact that they’re not following the statute. He’s doing it by an elaborate land-flipping scheme.”
The next court date in this case, which is likely headed for a judicial ruling on the evidence rather than a full trial, will be Wednesday, February 27. v
