Environmental law

Earlier this year, we co-chaired the Hawaii Agriculture Conference, and one of the hottest items on the agenda was the “GMO” issue, now brewing in at least two Hawaii courts (the Kauai ordinance was challenged in federal court, while the Big Island ordinance was challenged in the Third Circuit). 

We’re…

A few months ago, we commented on the proposed “environmental court,” a bill working its way through the Hawaii legislature. We called it a bad idea, and hoped the Lawgivers would see the light and let this idea fade away.

It looks like we were unjustifiably optimistic, and both houses have now passed the bill…

Yesterday, we posted one of those only-in-Hawaii kind of cases. Today, by coincidence, is one of those only-in-the-south type of cases: 

The Christmases’ wild-alligator-nuisance claim is a case of first impression in Mississippi.

In Christmas v. Exxon Mobil Corp., No. 2011-CT-01311-SCT (May 15, 2014), the Mississippi Supreme Court held that a …

Those of us who have been in the courtroom when the U.S. Supreme Court has conducted its sessions over the past decades will certainly recall the fairly tall guy in the fancy suit guiding the lawyers, press, and audience members where to sit, what to do, and the like. That was the Clerk of the…

Here’s an article worth reading, co-authored by our colleague Edward Thomas (no relation, although we often kid that Ed is our brother-in-the-law), President of the Natural Hazard Mitigation Association, and a fellow who is concerned both with anticipating natural hazards such as sea level rise, hurricanes, and the like, as well as property rights. …

The case that seemingly wouldn’t end — Coy Koontz, Jr.’s continuation of his late father’s case against the St. Johns River Water Management District over the WMD’s demand that they “pay to play” — has ended with its eighth appellate decision (including the now-famous visit to the U.S. Supreme Court), with another win for…

Remember the Lost Tree case? That’s the one where the Federal Circuit concluded that a single parcel owned by the plaintiff was the relevant parcel against which the impact of the Corps of Engineers’ denial of a § 404 wetlands dredge and fill permit is to be measured. The court overturned a Court of Federal…

It’s Friday, so we’re slacking a bit on the blogging. But our colleagues at the Nossaman firm have given us a couple of good pieces for our reading enjoyment.

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