Bar Exam Toolbox Podcast Episode 122: Listen and Learn -- Easements (Real Property)
The U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) has again rejected a state's narrow interpretation of the constitutional limits on government's ability to impose development conditions. A unanimous SCOTUS ruled on April 12 in favor of the...more
Sullivan's Permitting & Land Use Practice Group and Litigation Department have released the second issue of their Zoning and Development Newsletter. The publication aims to provide our firm's clients and others interested...more
The Supreme Court issued a single opinion yesterday. Wilkins v. United States concerns a property rights dispute between the federal government and two owners of land near the Bitterroot National Forest in rural Montana to...more
On March 28, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Wilkins, et al. v. United States, No. 21-1164, holding that the Quiet Title Act’s 12-year limitation period is a “nonjurisdictional claims-processing rule” that does not...more
On June 29, 2021, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that a certificate of public convenience and necessity issued by FERC under section 7 of the Natural Gas Act (“NGA”) authorizes a private company to exercise...more
In a 5-4 ruling decided on June 29, 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court in PennEast Pipeline Co. LLC v. New Jersey et al. affirmed the rights of Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)-certified pipelines seeking to use eminent...more
On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that private utilities may exercise eminent domain to take state-owned property under the Natural Gas Act (NGA). The decision resolved an issue that could have blocked construction...more
On June 29, 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court decided PennEast Pipeline Co. v. New Jersey, No. 19-1039, holding that the Federal Government had properly delegated to private companies federal authority to condemn necessary...more
The Supreme Court of the United States rarely hears anything related to eminent domain or takings cases; the Kelodecision in 2005 was the latest “big” case for our industry, although the 2019 Knick decision also made...more
Collins v. Yellen, No. 19-422: The Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (“Recovery Act”), 12 U.S.C. §4501 et seq., was passed in response to concerns that Fannie Mae’s and Freddie Mac’s financial condition as a result of...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
With the February 13 passing of U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonin Scalia, American jurisprudence lost an intellectual giant. But Justice Scalia will not be forgotten; the legacy of his life’s work lives on. While...more
A recent Supreme Court case may have a far-reaching impact on many of the United States’ “rails-to-trails” biking and jogging paths. In March, the Supreme Court held in an 8-1 decision that rights of way granted to railroad...more
The United States Supreme Court decisions in Nollan and Dolan provide landowners with a useful tool for seeking compensation when government agencies use their land use authority to exact valuable property rights and other...more