President Trump’s plan to greenlight oil exploration off our coast appears dead for the time being. A South Carolina federal court battle to stop seismic blasting tests appeared to end in victory last week, after defendants acknowledged the permits being challenged would expire November 30, before the case could come to trial, and cannot be renewed without starting over.

“This is a huge victory not just for us but for every coastal community that loudly and persistently protested the possibility of seismic blasting,” says Catherine Wannamaker, a senior attorney for the Southern Environmental Law Center.

It seems the Trump Administration just can’t help itself from getting it wrong on every detail of clean energy and a healthy coast. That’s why the checks and balances of an independent judiciary are so critical. Ultimately, an informed voting public is now deciding whether the most pro-polluter administration in history will be told, “You’re fired!”