The U.S. Supreme Court holds that a case containing claims that local administrative action violates federal law, but also containing state-law claims for on-the-record review of the administrative findings, can be removed to federal district court. The city of Chicago removed to federal court a law...

The court holds that the Eleventh Amendment does not immunize a receiver of estate trusts from being sued solely in its representative capacity. The state of California filed suit against the trustees of a manufacturer's estate to recover cleanup costs at the plant. At the trustees' request, the Con...

The court holds that a district court did not abuse its discretion in finding expert testimony concerning a corporation's claim of land contamination by a neighboring company to be unreliable. The corporation's contamination claim arose as a response to a trespassing counterclaim that the neighborin...

The court holds that a developer's takings claim against the United States is barred by 28 U.S.C. §2501's six-year statute of limitations. Two developers claim that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' denial of a permit application to construct a levee, and the Corps' subsequent selection of an alter...

The court dismisses an organization's challenge to a county airport's runway extension for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. The court first holds that the county had no duty to hold a public hearing under 49 U.S.C. §47106(c)(1)(A), which requires the Secretary of Transportation to hold a public...

The court holds that under Louisiana law, the successor to a former oil company is directly liable for the cleanup costs of an abandoned oil lease site. When the original lessee conveyed to the company an oil and gas lease, the company consented to the inclusion of a covenant to clean up the leased ...

The court holds that a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report classifying environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) as a known carcinogen violated the Radon Gas and Indoor Air Quality Research Act. The report classifies ETS as a group A carcinogen known to cause cancer in humans. The court first ...

The court upholds the U.S. Department of the Interior's (DOI's) decision to deny lessors' request to cancel their Native American oil and gas lease because of the lessee's royalty underpayment violations. The court first holds that the lessors' constitutional argument is meritless. Instead of arguin...

The court holds that the Interstate Commerce Commission Termination Act (ICCTA) preempts state and local environmental review of a rail carrier's reacquisition and reopening of the Stampede Pass railroad line in Washington State. The court first holds that the plain language of two sections of the I...

The court holds that the National Park Service's decision to remove a herd of 12 horses from Santa Cruz Island in the Channel Islands did not violate the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The court first holds that the plaintiff foundation provided no support for its assertion that the horse...