WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit by the Mississippi NAACP and others trying to stop the state from diverting Hurricane Katrina housing money to a Gulf Coast port project.
U.S. District Court Judge James Robertson said Friday the plaintiffs might have a valid policy argument against diverting the $570 million in funding.
But he ruled they don’t have standing to bring the case because they didn’t show they would be personally harmed.
The NAACP and other advocates sued U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development earlier this year.
They argued there were still a pressing need to use the money for housing. State officials have argued that expanding the State Port at Gulfport is key to creating jobs.