From ALIPAC --
A federal judge on Friday ordered the state Transportation Department to let a controversial group of anti-illegal immigration activists pick up litter near a Border Patrol checkpoint.
In a 34-page order, Judge William Q. Hayes granted the San Diego Minutemen's request for a preliminary injunction that gives Caltrans 30 days to reinstate the group's Adopt-A-Highway permit for a 2-mile stretch of Interstate 5 near San Clemente.
The state also must restore the courtesy sign bearing the Minutemen's name, the judge ruled.
The judge's decision enables the North County group to once again pick up trash alongside the busy freeway while its lawsuit against Caltrans officials is pending.
"We expected that on all counts," said the Minutemen's attorney, Howard Kaloogian, when he learned of the judge's decision from a reporter Friday night. "This basically tells us that our case is solid and will probably win on the merits."
The state's Adopt-A-Highway program allows individuals, organizations and businesses to clean stretches of roadway that meet certain safety standards. The groups are recognized with simple roadside signs.
In November, Caltrans made national news when it granted the Minutemen, a group that has gained wide publicity for protesting day-labor hiring sites, permission to clean the northbound stretch of I-5. More...
Good news indeed.
ReplyDelete