Back in December 2008, before President Obama took over, Tim DeChristopher was attending the University of Utah and spending his free time at a Bureau of Land Management auction for oil and gas lease sales. To say that DeChristopher crashed this auction is an understatment鈥攈e actually signed in as a bidder and bought $1.8 million in oil and gas rights. DeChristopher's reason for this auction crashing? Climate change.
According to , U.S. District Judge Dee Benson has forbidden DeChristopher and his attorneys from using a 鈥渘ecessity defense鈥 of disrupting the auction to help the environment. Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Romney says that DeChristopher took his activism too far and instead engaged in criminal activism. DeChristopher could face a maximum of ten years in prison if he gets convicted.
Keep updated on the trial, which began Monday, with .
–Mattie Schuler