Cruise Opponents Want Case Heard Locally

Groups suing to prevent the Carnival Fantasy and other cruise ships from docking in Charleston Harbor say their suit should be heard locally, not before the South Carolina Supreme Court, as the South Carolina Ports Authority has previously argued, according to an Associated Press story.

A pleading filed with the high court Monday said the case is basically a local zoning and environmental case and “no central legal question of statewide applicability is present.” It also said there are “no extraordinary circumstances” to justify the justices taking immediate jurisdiction.

Residents and environmental groups sued Carnival earlier this year alleging the company’s vessels docking in this historic city are a public nuisance, amount to illegal hotel operations and even that their signature red, white and blue smokestacks violate city sign ordinances.

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