Feds Urge New Orleans - not Houston - as BP Litigation Venue

According to Bloomberg, reporting today:

U.S. Justice Department lawyers, in a June 10 filing made public yesterday, urged a panel of judges to gather all the federal court suits before a single judge in New Orleans for pre-trial proceedings. The government didn't identify the judge. BP officials have asked that the cases be sent to U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes in Houston. New Orleans "is centrally located and is geographically closest to the key events giving rise to liability in these matters," U.S. lawyers said in the nine-page filing.

That's not the last word in the ongoing venue fight - but it could tip the scales.