Judge Rules Against Noem, Won’t Allow Fireworks at Mount Rushmore

The decision was against a motion for a preliminary injunction

A U.S. flag flies as fireworks explode above the Mount Rushmore National Monument during an Independence Day event in Keystone, S.D., on July 3, 2020. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

A federal judge this week decided not to grant South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem a preliminary injunction that would see fireworks allowed at Mount Rushmore for July 4.

U.S. District Judge Roberto Lange, an Obama appointee, ruled that Noem’s lawsuit is unlikely to succeed and that the Biden administration’s rejection of a requested permit was not arbitrary or capricious.