Land use law

Screenshot 2024-03-26 at 09-12-12 Meme Generator - Imgflip

Check this out: lawprof Ilya Somin has posted “Squatters’ Rights Laws Violate the Takings Clause” at Volokh.

His thesis is just as the title suggests, arguing that state statutes that treat trespassers as tenants are government-authorized physical occupations, and thus are takings:

Ideally, state and local governments should make it easy for property

Screenshot 2024-03-14 at 16-04-25 Planning Law Careers in Land Development

If you’ve been around us long enough, you know that we’re big into the notion of “generational handoff” and doing what we can to make sure that students and others who are building their careers realize that dirt law and related topics are very good areas in which to find your way.

Well, here’s the

In Rhone v. City of Texas City, No. 22-40551 (Feb. 14, 2024), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit held that a municipality’s conclusion that Rhone’s apartment building had not been properly maintained, and a subsequent municipal court demolition order, might be a taking … or it might not be.

We won’t

ALI-CLE brochure cover page

When it comes to the longstanding ALI-CLE American Law Institute-CLE Eminent Domain and Land Valuation Litigation Conferences, we’re always ready to go. You know that. But this year’s version — the 41st — was buzzing like no other in recent memory.

Maybe it was the New Orleans venue with its atmo, food, and music for

The DC Court of Appeals’ (note: not the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit) opinion in Gordon v. District of Columbia, No. 20-CV-0568 (Feb. 15, 2024), presents a good cross-section of property rights issues. Not a good outcome on property rights issues, mind you.

If nothing else, be sure to check out

2024 Gifford Lecture Carol N. Brown Professor of Law flyer

Join us and our Land Use class, in-person on the campus of the University of Hawaii Law School (or online via Zoom, where it will be livestreamed), as Richmond Law lawprof Carol Brown delivers the 2024 Distinguished Gifford Lecture in Real Property, on March 24, 2024, at 4:40 p.m. Hawaii Time in the Cades

Yesterday, the other shoe dropped. In this order the U.S. Supreme Court denied review to a case that we’ve long been following, which challenged aspects of New York’s draconian rent control laws as a taking, 74 Pinehurst v. New York.

We say the “other shoe” because ever since the Court denied review months

Screenshot 2024-02-13 at 06-58-13 Professors' Corner - Legislative Exactions & Sheetz v. Co. of El Dorado

Join us at 12:30pm ET today, Tuesday, February 13, 2024, for the ABA’s Section of Real Property, Trust and Estates’ monthly Professor’s Corner, where we will join exactions experts Prof Tim Mulvaney, Andrew Gowder, and Prof Elizabeth Elia to discuss the Supreme Court arguments, the issues in the case, and what may be down

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If you dream such dreams as this photo, read on.

My law firm, Pacific Legal Foundation, is on the hunt for lawyer to join our Property Rights group (yours truly is the Director of Property Rights Litigation, so you will be working with me and the other takings and con law mavens in our practice).

Don’t miss out!

We promise: this is the last time we’re going to try to entice you to the upcoming ALI-CLE Eminent Domain & Land Valuation Litigation Conference in New Orleans. We are getting close to capacity, but there is still room. In recent years, we have standing room only in the Conference halls, and