Just over two weeks ago, Superior Court Judge David Hodge refused to enjoin lease negotiations between DCAMM and Liberty Junction, the winning bidder for the new courthouse in Springfield. The unsuccessful bidders who brought the suit were clear that the case was not over.
NORTHAMPTON—Last Wednesday, a judge in Northampton heard dueling motions in a rather strange case. On the surface, it may be another political, legal and cultural battle waged over Israel. The roots of the case plainly reach there. Yet, the case has an odd feature. The plaintiffs, 10 residents of Paradise City, are seeking to overturn a nonbinding resolution.
The Massachusetts Division of Capital Asset Management (DCAMM) and Liberty Junction, the developer selected to build the new courthouse in Springfield, can keep talking—and negotiating. That was the ruling from Superior Court Judge David Hodge, who refused to enjoin the process, as the plaintiffs in a suit had requested.
As skeptical as the ruling was, it might not have gone far enough to given DCAMM and Liberty Junction confidence the case is ending soon.
Since selecting the site for the new Springfield Regional Justice Center, the Commonwealth has had a fight on two fronts. In the public relations war, the Commonwealth has been releasing more information about the bid and process that led to the selected developer,
Then there is the lawsuit unsuccessful bidders USPB JV, LLC and Springfield Tower, LLC have filed. They allege Barros’ involvement tainted the bid.
More than four months after oral arguments, a panel of federal judges have effectively revived a suit that seeks to restore the Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change (ECJCC) grant program. Last year Springfield and a motley band of municipalities and nonprofits sued the Environmental Protection Agency for illegally terminating the program.
When Liberty Junction was selected as the developer for the new Springfield Regional Justice Center, it seemed likely that the unsuccessful bidders would go quietly into the night. The invective and rending of garments was a job for the pols. The choice disappointed losing bidders, but it was not expected that they would take action against the choice.
Such was not the case.
In a spasm of suits, the United States Department of Justice challenged four states’ policies that blocked the feds’ use of confidential license plates. Last week, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey announced the Registry of Motor Vehicles would not provide Immigration & Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection with civilian plates to conceal their civil immigration operations.
A federal judge in Springfield has agreed to dissolve the consent decree that the city of Springfield and the federal government had agreed to in 2022. On Thursday, Judge Michael Ponsor granted the joint motion to end the agreement, which the parties had filed about 10 days ago. The ruling was not a surprise.
WASHINGTON—Fifteen months after Springfield formally accepted its Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change (ECJCC) grant, it and several cities and environmental groups were fighting to keep the program alive. Far from 36 Court Street, in a wood-paneled courtroom between the Capitol and the White House, a motley crew of grantees urged a federal appeals court to reverse a lower court’s dismissal that had doomed an effort to revive the ECJCC program.
Just over four years after the City of Springfield, the Springfield Police Department and the federal government reached a court-monitored settlement, the pact may be coming to an end. Springfield and the feds jointly have filed a motion to terminate the agreement. If the court agrees, it will end a saga that has cast a pall over Pearl Street and City Hall for years.