Published: July 27, 2007 12:31 am         

NEW: Judge blocks attempt to keep fighter jets in Springfield

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — A federal judge has ruled against Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s attempt to keep 15 National Guard fighter jets from being moved from here to Indiana.

U.S. District Judge Jeanne Scott granted the Defense Department’s motion to dismiss Blagojevich’s suit that challenged the move. The governor had claimed the federal government needed his consent to move the planes, and he sought a permanent injunction to block the transfer.

But Scott said the Department of Defense is protected from any injunction by the federal government’s sovereign immunity. She said her ruling Wednesday effectively closes the case.

A message seeking comment was left with a governor’s office spokeswoman late Thursday.

The Defense Department has sought to move the F-16s assigned to the 183rd Fighter Wing in Springfield to Fort Wayne, Ind., as part of a nationwide reorganization of military installations. The Base Realignment and Closure Commission initially proposed the reorganization, and President Bush signed off on it in 2005.

After Bush approved the recommendations, Blagojevich blasted the BRAC plan, saying it “does not live up to all its hype.”

“Taking the F-16s out of Springfield is the perfect example of what is wrong with this process,” Blagojevich said at the time. “It would cost, and not save, the taxpayers $10 million, and it would make our country less and not more secure.”