Chicago’s Obama Library to Proceed With 7th Circuit Approval

Construction on the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago’s Jackson Park can continue, after the Seventh Circuit ruled Monday that the city lawfully leased land to the Obama Foundation.

The $850 million center, on Chicago’s South Side, will commemorate former President Barack Obama with a museum, public library, and green spaces on 19.3 acres—approximately 3.5% of Jackson Park.

The panel followed the reasoning of previous court decisions that allowed the project to go ahead, rejecting the theory that the construction ran afoul of the “public trust” doctrine and turning aside other arguments.

“Construction of the Center is now well underway, and ...