Judge rules against NOAA in auction dispute

A US District Judge has ruled that the Gloucester Seafood Display Auction cannot be closed while the court case is still pending.

Via FIS.com:
Judge rules against NOAA

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s attempt to shut down the Gloucester Seafood Display Auction as a penalty was prohibited earlier this week by a federal judge. It was decided that the auction cannot be closed down while a court case involving it is pending in a US District Court.

Read the complete FIS.com article here


Reaction from the Gloucester Daily News:
NOAA, after media push vs. auction, silent after court rebuke

The law enforcement office of the federal fisheries service undertook an aggressive, preemptive media campaign last month to inform the public of its decision to penalize the Gloucester Seafood Display Auction with a 10-day closure for a disputed violation of a 6-year-old probation agreement.

"The press release on this matter was designed to ensure that all relevant factual information was made available to the public," wrote NOAA enforcement attorney Mitch MacDonald, in a judicially demanded affidavit on the purpose of the campaign.

But yesterday — a day after a federal judge issued a restraining order on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and sharply chastised the service for attempting to impose punishment before the case was resolved in federal court — the NOAA media machine went silent.

Read the Gloucester Daily News article here