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This country has its challenges but it’s nice to know that one can go to court and vindicate one’s rights, even against some of the country’s most officious bureaucrats. In a best-case scenario, one can even receive a well-deserved apology before returning to the important business of colonizing Mars. Christopher Weber reports for the Associated Press: California regulators apologized to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk this week as they settled a lawsuit that claimed a state agency showed political bias against the rocket company and its chief executive. As part of the settlement, the California Coastal Commission acknowledged its members made “improper” statements about Musk’s political beliefs at a 2024 hearing on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launch program. “The commission agrees that it may not consider irrelevant factors in performing its function and specifically agrees that it will not take into account the perceived political beliefs,
political speech or labor practices of SpaceX or its officers in considering any regulatory action concerning SpaceX,” the commission said in federal court documents filed Tuesday… The commission also agreed it wouldn’t require a coastal development permit pertaining to SpaceX’s launch program in the state. News consumers may think that the California Coastal Commission concerns itself only with ruining community Fourth of July celebrations, preventing homeowners from rebuilding after a disaster, endangering seagulls and creating environmental hazards. But the commission also decided that its purview should include not only limiting rocket launches at Vandenberg Space Force Base but also policing the political opinions of the person building the rockets. Thank goodness for the sake of our foundational liberties that he decided to sue.
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