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recent ruling by Cook County Circuit Court Judge Thaddeus L. Wilson found that the Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago has been causing environmental harm for years. According to the lawsuit filed in 2018 by former Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, Friends of the Chicago River, and the Sierra Club, the building's cooling water intake system has illegally drawn in and killed thousands of fish from the Chicago River. This system draws up to 20 million gallons of water daily, which violates federal and state regulations meant to protect aquatic life. Attorney General Kwame Raoul refiled the lawsuit last year and argued that the tower's cooling system is illegal. Judge Wilson agreed with Raoul's claims, stating that the 92-story tower at 401 North Wabash Avenue has created and continues to create a public nuisance in violation of Illinois law.

    The environmental groups hailed this ruling as a significant victory. Jack Darin, Sierra Club Illinois Director, expressed pride in holding these scofflaws accountable and vowed to monitor the building's compliance moving forward. The lawsuit claims that Trump Tower operates without a proper state environmental permit, fails to accurately report water discharge levels, and violates at least three environmental laws. Attorney General Raoul intends to seek civil penalties for these violations.

    The Trump Organization has not commented on this ruling yet. A hearing scheduled for November will address the steps needed to bring the building into compliance.