Case involving Maryland’s Purple Line project is being delayed after judge removes himself

Written by RT&S Staff
Purple Line
Maryland’s governor would not mind seeing a future light-rail project for Baltimore that involves private investment.

A judge is removing himself from a court case involving Maryland’s light-rail Purple Line because he lives near the site of a future station.

U.S. District Judge Peter Messitte has been on the case since January 2019, but apparently he just noticed the case could halt construction. Messitte told lawyers he was not happy about this realization, and believes the outcome of the case could impact him both personally and financially. Messitte does not want to show any partiality. A March hearing has been canceled and the case is being transferred to another judge.

The lawsuit questions a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit on dredging and other construction activity in streams and wetlands, which a group claims is illegal according to the Clean Water Act.

This is the third and final lawsuit Maryland’s light-rail Purple Line is facing. The first case, which called for Maryland to update the Purple Line’s environmental study, was rejected by a federal appeals court, but did delay the project for about a year. The second lawsuit also was dismissed.

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