Escalation: Federal Judge Demands Proof of Closure

U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell refused to halt the detainees’ lawsuit and gave state and federal officials four days to submit official proof that Alligator Alcatraz is permanently closed, or a timeline for when they will. She wrote that the court has seen no evidence from an official with authority declaring it permanently closed.

State and federal lawyers argued the case is moot because the governor announced the facility’s closure and said any reopening would be “negligible.” Plaintiffs said they have received no concrete information and warned the site could be rebuilt quickly, so they asked for actual evidence of a permanent shutdown.

Recent aerial images show the generators, tents and cages gone and the entrance sign removed. The judge’s order keeps the case active until formal assurance of permanence is filed and explains why the court should treat the dispute as resolved.

AI-synthesized from multiple reported sources