Legal setback for activists trying to save Princeton Battlefield

PRINCETON — A federal judge has rejected a legal challenge from activists seeking to prevent the development of a privately owned portion of a Revolutionary War battlefield in Mercer County.

The Princeton Battlefield Society had claimed the Institute for Advanced Study was destroying critical wetlands at its construction site on the Maxwell Field property. They sought a preliminary injunction.

But the judge ruled that the group didn't show it was likely to win its case or that it would suffer irreparable harm if the injunction wasn't issued.

The prominent academic institute — where Albert Einstein worked — wants to build a 15-unit faculty housing development on land adjacent to Princeton Battlefield State Park.

But the 7-acre tract on Maxwell Field is seen by scholars and preservationists as hallowed ground.

Related video: