Federal Judge Freezes WV AG Subpoenas of Big Green Groups

Last week we told you that West Virginia Attorney General JB McCuskey had served subpoenas on at least six environmental groups. He wanted nearly 10 years of their records, and his legal hook was the state's consumer protection law (see WV AG Probes Climate Groups for Deceptive Claims About Drillers). Two of the groups, the West Virginia Rivers Coalition (WVRC) and 350.org, sued him in federal court. On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Joseph Goodwin sided with the groups and slapped the AG with a temporary restraining order (TRO). The subpoenas were due yesterday, November 2. Now they're frozen until at least November 12. Goodwin's 27-page opinion is anything but subtle: he says McCuskey skipped the fishing pole and the net and "brought dynamite to the lake." So does the judge have a point? Mostly, yes, and it pains us a little to say so (see MDN's Take below).

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