A district court denied summary judgment for environmental groups in a challenge to FWS' 2015 rule that classified any reestablished black-footed ferret population in Wyoming as a nonessential experimental population. The groups argued FWS' designation of reintroduced ferrets as "nonessential" viola...

A district court affirmed BLM's resource management plan (RMP) amendment and record of decision (ROD) concerning wild horse management in southern Wyoming. Conservation and wild horse advocate groups argued BLM's decision to revert two herd management areas to "herd area" status, of which the approp...

A district court granted summary judgment for environmental groups in a challenge to NMFS' biological opinion (BiOp) on the impact of oil and gas extraction in the Gulf of Mexico on protected marine life. The groups argued NMFS violated the APA and the ESA by issuing a flawed BiOp that underestimate...

In an unpublished opinion, the Ninth Circuit reversed a lower court's vacatur of an incidental take statement (ITS) issued by NMFS authorizing a troll fishery in Alaska to harvest Chinook salmon despite potential reduction in prey for the endangered southern resident killer whale, and affirmed its d...

A district court granted in part and denied in part summary judgment for environmental groups in a challenge to FWS' 2020 revised 12-month finding on a petition to list the Upper Missouri River distinct population segment of arctic grayling. The groups argued FWS failed to analyze the adequacy of ex...

A district court adopted in part, modified in part, and rejected in part a magistrate judge's findings and recommendations in a challenge to FWS' biological opinion (BiOp) for Flathead National Forest's 2018 revised land management plan. Environmental groups argued FWS and the Forest Service violate...

A district court granted in part and denied in part an outdoor recreation group's motion to preliminarily enjoin the National Park Service's (NPS') regulations governing commercial filming on public lands. The group argued the regulations' land use fee and permitting requirements violated the First ...

The Ninth Circuit affirmed a district court's permanent injunction in an ESA citizen suit concerning a proposed timber harvesting project on private property in Oregon. Environmental groups argued the project would cause a "take" of marbled murrelets in violation of the ESA by clearing acres of tree...

In an unpublished per curiam judgment, the D.C. Circuit affirmed summary judgment for NMFS in a challenge to the Service's 2019 rule regarding turtle excluder devices. Environmental groups argued the final rule was not adequately explained, that it was not a logical outgrowth of the proposed rule th...

The Fifth Circuit affirmed dismissal of a constitutional challenge brought by a pipeline company concerning a 1949 permit a local levee board granted to the company to construct and maintain two pipelines across a levee in Mayersville, Mississippi. The company argued the board violated the Contracts...