On Friday, a federal judge ruled that the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protections Authority-East Lawsuit, commonly known as the “levee lawsuits” will remain in federal court. He explained that the energy companies’ activities are governed by federal laws, not state.
“In an 83-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown agreed with that argument, finding that levee authority’s claims demanding repair of wetlands or damages ‘necessarily raise a federal issue, actually disputed and substantial, which a federal forum may entertain without disturbing the congressional approved balance of federal and state judicial responsibilities.’”
To read more on this decision, visit the Times Picayune’s full description here.