Charges against Enbridge protesters dismissed

Good deal, with a hitch.

In October 2016, five activists from the Pacific Northwest traveled to Washington, Montana, North Dakota, and Minnesota to shut off oil pipelines. Now recognized as the Valve Turners, the group sent a tremor through the oil and gas industry. Enbridge had to temporarily shut down two lines in Minnesota a result of the protests, and the activists who were responsible faced felony charges in the state. Their big moment in court was this week, and guess what? The judge let them off without a scratch. Three cheers for effective protest techniques!

...They certainly got their point across. The trial itself was shaping up to become a landmark moment. The Valve Turners fought long and hard to get the judge to allow them to use a necessity clause — the argument that the threat posed by the oil coming from the tar sands was so immediate that their actions were not only morally justified, but also necessary.

But a district court judge tossed the case out so quickly the activists weren’t even able to use the necessity clause. That’s kind of a bummer, as it would have given people behind other ongoing climate-related lawsuits an opportunity to see how the legal maneuver worked in court. - Grist