(Bismarck, ND) — Media companies are petitioning the state Supreme Court for greater access to the Greenpeace trial underway in Mandan. The developers of the Dakota Access Pipeline are suing the environmental group for 300-million dollars, claiming they were behind “unlawful” protests in 2016 that halted construction of the pipeline. Judge James Gion has denied media requests to record or livestream the civil trial at the Morton County courthouse. On Thursday, a petition was filed with the state Supreme Court by media groups seeking a reversal of the judge’s order, citing significant local, state, national and international interest in the case.
