The court dismisses a landowner's takings claims against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (the Corps) and Minnesota state agencies for rejecting his proposed wetland replacement plan and ordering him to remove an access road on the property and to restore the wetlands on his lots. The landowner buil...

The court holds that New Jersey's discovery rule does not toll a property owner's environmental contamination claims against the seller and, therefore, the claims are barred by the six-year statute of limitations. The owner purchased the property in 1983, and after conducting an environmental invest...

The court affirms a district court decision that a city's trash collection ordinance did not violate the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution. The ordinance stated that the city would provide trash removal services to all residential property owners except those whose property required m...

The court holds that Texas' doctrine of sovereign immunity does not render the city of Dallas immune from a suit by the heirs of a landowner who bequested land to the city for use as a park. Under the bequest to the city, if the land was not used as a public park or if the park name was changed, the...

The court affirms a district court's dismissal of individuals' substantive due process claims challenging the constitutionality of the Montana Stream Access Law. This law allows the use of all surface waters that are capable of recreational use without regard to ownership of the land underlying the ...

The court holds that the Double Jeopardy Clause does not bar an individual's federal criminal prosecution for violating the Clean Air Act (CAA) asbestos-removal regulations even though he was previously assessed a civil penalty for the same conduct by a county health district. The individual entered...

The court affirms a lower court decision holding a landowners' takings claim against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (the Corps) ripe, but reverses the lower court's decision that the taking was permanent. The Corps' denial of the landowners' fill permit application was a final decision rendering t...

The court holds that application of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to a commercial housing development that threatened the continued existence of the arroyo southwestern toad, an endangered species, was a constitutional exercise of federal authority under the U.S. Commerce Clause. The court previo...

The court holds that under Texas law, property owners can recover for trespass based on contamination by emission of airborne particulates. The only showing necessary is entry over land by some "thing." In addition, evidence in this case showed actual contamination of the property by the emissions. ...

The court holds that a defense contractor that operated the Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons Plant in Colorado could recover under its contract with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) legal fees and other costs it incurred in a successful defense against environmental criminal charges brought against it...