The latest rendering of the Obama Presidential Center tower. (Courtesy of Obama Foundation)

Opponents of the Obama Presidential Center’s location in Jackson Park lost a bid to have their case heard by the U.S. Supreme Court.

On Monday, the high court denied a petition from Protect Our Parks, which had requested a review of an appellate court decision handed down in August 2020. In that ruling, appellate justices said Protect Our Parks lacked standing to sue the city of Chicago in the first place over its approval of the center’s construction on public land.

Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who was a member of the appellate court at the time of its 2020 decision, did not take part in the Supreme Court’s consideration of Protect Our Parks’ petition, according to the court’s order.

Herb Caplan, founder of the nonprofit Protect Our Parks, called the court’s decision disappointing but not surprising. 

The group filed a new lawsuit against the center in U.S. District Court in mid-April.

“Our core arguments seek to protect the long-term environmental and historical resources in Jackson Park,” Caplan said. “We look forward to defending these arguments in court based on the recent complaint filed in the Northern District of Illinois.” 

The Supreme Court’s decision on Protect Our Parks’ petition was among a slew of “orders“ released by the court Monday. The vast majority of cases filed in the Supreme Court are disposed of by these unsigned orders and are issued without comment.

Contact Patty Wetli: @pattywetli | (773) 509-5623 |  [email protected]