Barack Obama has been out of the White House for two years now.
But he’s still working to keep his name in the headlines.
Unfortunately for Obama though, a federal judge just dealt him a life-changing defeat.
Former President Barack Obama had to deal with watching Donald Trump succeed him as President.
And after seeing President Trump systematically tear down his legacy piece by piece, Barack Obama now has to suffer a further humiliation with this new ruling that will put his legacy back miles.
The AP reports, “A federal judge gave the green light Tuesday to a parts-advocacy group’s lawsuit that aims to stop for good the delayed construction of former President Obama’s $500 million presidential center in a Chicago park beside Lake Michigan.”
Almost every President has a presidential library constructed for them after they leave office.
And Barack Obama had plans to soar higher than any President before him.
His proposed presidential library would have cost half a billion dollars and would have been the largest presidential library in history.
But those hopes may be on the verge of being dashed.
The AP reports, “Supporters of the project had hoped that court would grand a city motion to throw out the lawsuit by Protect Our Parks, some fearing any drawn out litigation might lead Obama to decide to build the Obama Presidential Center somewhere other than his hometown.”
The judge decided to allow the lawsuit to proceed because he found the protesters had standing to sue.
The federal judge claimed that taxpayers’ concerns of providing park land to the public trust that will operate the Obama center could violate their due-process rights.
The biggest complaint is that the land the center will be built on will be leased to the Obama Foundation for just 10 cents a year. The plaintiffs argue that public money will also be used to subsidize an overt political operation.
While the ruling doesn’t guarantee the plaintiffs will prevail in the end, it does provide a clear path to blocking the project in perpetuity.
And with no progress on building Obama’s beloved presidential center, the former President may have to decide to scale back his plans or move it to another location or state.
While it’s still likely for Obama to eventually get his presidential center, it’s clear that this court ruling is a major defeat for the 44th President.
Obama had hoped that his everlasting monument to himself would already be underway.
Instead, he has to watch a sprawling legal battle play out first.
Do you think Obama will prevail and see his presidential center built in Chicago? Or will the 44thPresident have to look elsewhere?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
