Judge sides with law enforcement in pipeline protest suit

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A federal judge has sided with local law enforcement in a case brought by Dakota Access Pipeline demonstrators alleging excessive use of force by police at a protest site in North Dakota in 2016. Attorneys for protesters who brought the suit say police fired rubber bullets and exploding munitions “indiscriminately into the crowd” and also used tear gas. Lawyers for law enforcement say officers were outnumbered and were concerned for their lives and safety. They sought to have the protesters’ legal claims dismissed. U.S. District Judge Daniel Traynor issued the order granting their request on Wednesday.