It's been an exciting 24 hours for people who don't like seeing people treated by cattle by people who don't believe that some people are people. According to the BBC, in the early hours of Thursday morning, a federal judge ruled that President Trump's other Florida compound, Alligator Alcatraz, needed to be closed immediately.
In an 82-page ruling, district court judge Kathleen Williams stated that the prison camp was doing insane amounts of damage to the Florida Everglades and the endangered species that live there. Moving forward, no prisoners will be housed there, and no further construction work will be done. Operations at the site are ordered to wind down. The facility's personnel are not allowed to turn on any generators, dispose of sewage, or twitch. Do not pass Go. Do not hand out prison facilities management contracts for hundreds of millions of dollars.
Judge Williams cited a 1960s plan to build a tourist airport in the Everglades that was rejected due to fears of the environmental harms it could cause.
"Since that time, every Florida governor, every Florida senator, and countless local and national political figures, including presidents, have publicly pledged their unequivocal support for the restoration, conservation, and protection of the Everglades," she wrote.
"This order does nothing more than uphold the basic requirements of legislation designed to fulfil those promises."
It's important to note that the ruling is only a preliminary injunction, which prevents the prison camp from operating or building any additional infrastructure. To drive a stake into the heart of Trump's South Florida darling, environmentalists will have to bring the noise with a lawsuit. Even if it doesn't last, this ruling feels like a much-needed win against the tools currently running the nation.
Previously:
• Noem announces plans to replicate Alligator Alcatraz model across multiple states
• DeSantis opens Alligator Alcatraz — only to have it flood on 1st day (video)
• Ron DeSantis shows off Alligator Alcatraz with grim tour (video)
