After months of extreme political pressure from Congress and the Northeast fishing industry, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reversed course Wednesday and said more fishermen will be allowed to appeal disputed federal fisheries law enforcement cases.
Captains and business owners who feel they were unjustly treated by federal agents and lawyers will again have an opportunity to have their cases re-examined by Charles Swartwood, a former federal magistrate who last year was appointed as special master to investigate disputed NOAA actions.
Locke said he spoke with Swartwood on March 7 "and he indicated to me there may be a wider pool of cases."
But other politics came into play, too, when Locke this month was nominated as ambassador to China — subject to confirmation by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee chaired by Rep. John Kerry, D-Mass., who pushed for NOAA reforms.
Read the complete story from the Asbury Park Press.