Yo, check this out. The Feds are totally messing up when it comes to taking over that supercomputer from the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR).<br>
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So, the Trump administration announced they were going to shut down NCAR back in December. Big shocker, right? Because the government never really flagged any serious issues with the center or its supercomputing hub in Wyoming. But instead of just dumping the whole thing, they ordered the University Consortium for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) to help figure out who would run it next.<br>
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UCAR immediately sued, and they snagged a preliminary injunction to put the transfer on hold. This is where the real drama is. The government tried to argue that since no final decision was made, there was no basis for the lawsuit. But the judge basically called them out. She pointed out that government folks were already telling UCAR that the NSF had decided to transfer the supercomputer way back in February—*before* the public comment period even closed!<br>
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The government admitted they hadn't even properly looked at the feedback they got. The judge basically said the whole thing looked predetermined. It's classic "arbitrary and capricious" behavior, and the courts are siding with the researchers here.<br>
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Honestly, it’s a huge win for science. It shows that even when the bureaucracy tries to pull a fast one, the legal process can actually stop them from totally wrecking critical infrastructure. They just wanted to move the asset, but they didn't want to deal with the actual process.<br>
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Source: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/06/judge-blocks-part-of-trump-admins-effort-to-hurt-colorado-research-center/