The Biden administration has now accepted a trial judge’s ruling that the National Park Service move forward on establishing a long-delayed marine reserve zone in Florida’s Biscayne National Park.
Facing a Monday deadline to file its opening appeals brief, the Justice Department that day instead advised the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in a one-paragraph note that it was moving to voluntarily dismiss its challenge.
The government’s legal surrender came about four months after the Justice Department initiated its appeal of a March 29 trial court decision in a lawsuit bought by the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA).
“We’re really pleased to see that the government dropped the appeal. That solidifies the district court’s earlier ruling that the National Park Service has unlawfully delayed implementation of the marine reserve zone,” Marisa Carrozzo, senior coastal and wildlife program manager with the NPCA, said in an interview Wednesday.
