On April 12, 2024, the Supreme Court of the United States issued its much-anticipated ruling in Sheetz v. County of El Dorado. The case concerned the legality of a local jurisdiction’s imposition of a traffic impact...more
The US Supreme Court held that the National Park Service’s responsibility over the Appalachian Trail did not incorporate that land into the National Park System, leaving the Forest Service with the authority to grant the...more
Supreme Court Lifts Key Obstacle to Atlantic Coast Pipeline, but More Challenges Remain - "The U.S. Supreme Court has reversed a lower court ruling that held up construction on the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, which would...more
“Sometimes a complicated regulatory scheme may cause us to miss the forest for the trees, but at bottom, these cases boil down to a simple proposition: A trail is a trail, and land is land.” Justice Thomas, Opinion of the...more
On February 24, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on a critical permit needed for completion of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, a controversial natural gas pipeline crossing the Appalachian Trail. Supporters of the...more
On October 4, 2019, the Supreme Court granted review of a Fourth Circuit decision that rejected U.S. Forest Service authorization of a $7 billion natural gas pipeline. See Cowpasture River Pres. Assn v. Forest Service, 911...more
On May 20, 2019, the Supreme Court of the United States decided Herrera v. Wyoming, No. 17-532, holding that hunting rights in modern-day Montana and Wyoming that the Crow Tribe of Indians acquired under its 1868 treaty with...more
In 2007, National Park Service rangers stopped John Sturgeon from travelling by hovercraft on the Nation River within the boundaries of Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve. Park Service regulations ban the use of...more
Environmental and Policy Focus - Supreme Court deals blow to President Obama’s efforts to regulate power plant greenhouse gas emissions - New York Times - Feb 9 - In a major setback for President Obama’s...more