Hey there, readers! So, like, did you hear about the whole mix-up with the federal prosecutors and congestion pricing in New York City? Yeah, it’s pretty wild. Basically, these prosecutors accidentally filed a confidential memo saying they probably won’t win the case. Oops!
The U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York got booted off the case because of this blunder. Now, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Division is taking over. Talk about a major facepalm moment, right?
The Transportation Department was not impressed, to say the least. They were all like, “Are these SDNY lawyers for real? Did they mess up on purpose?” It’s a real head-scratcher, folks. The Transportation Department even called it legal malpractice. Yikes.
The U.S. attorney’s office tried to do some damage control by saying it was an honest mistake. They claimed they didn’t mean to spill the beans about their doubts on the case. But come on, guys, you gotta be more careful than that.
The confidential memo spilled the tea on how risky it is to defend the challenge to congestion pricing. The Transportation Department’s secretary, Sean Duffy, is trying to shut down the program by arguing it’s not authorized by law. The memo suggested that maybe the Federal Highway Administration could step in and end the program properly. Who knows what will happen next?
U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman was not having it. He was like, “Hold up, why is this memo out in the open now?” He’s thinking about whether to keep it sealed or not. He also raised the question of attorney-client privilege. It’s a real legal drama unfolding, folks.
Even though the memo got leaked, it might not make a huge difference in the case. Eric A. Goldstein from the Natural Resources Defense Council thinks it’s more of a hiccup than a game-changer. The judge, Liman, has seen it all before with other challenges to congestion pricing. So, maybe it’s not the end of the world.
Corey Bearak, on the other hand, thinks the Trump administration should try other tactics to take down the congestion pricing program. He’s suggesting they team up with other opponents in state court battles. It’s like a chess game, but with lawsuits.
So, yeah, that’s the whole scoop on the congestion pricing mess in New York City. It’s a real rollercoaster ride of legal drama and mix-ups. We’ll have to wait and see how this all plays out in the end. Stay tuned for more updates, folks!
