Registration is now open for the 2017 Hawaii Land Use Conference, presented by the Hawaii State Bar Association and the University of Hawaii Law School, at the downtown Honolulu YWCA’s Fuller Hall on January 19-20, 2017. “This 2 day conference is a must attend for any attorney or professional whose practice involves land use
Rail
NSFW (Maybe): A Chicago Statue
Are you like us and cannot type, write, or say “statue” without it coming out “statute?” That’s an affliction we’ve had since law school days, and one we’re probably never going to shake.
As lawyers, we’ve all no doubt seen plenty of crappy statutes in our careers.
But, at the risk of being offensive…
Oct 6, 2016: HAWSCT Oral Argument In Eminent Domain Case: Do Parcels Need To Touch To Be Part Of A “Larger Parcel”
Tomorrow, Thursday, October 6, 2016, at 10:00 a.m. at Aliiolani Hale, the Hawaii Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a case we’ve been following (we filed an amicus brief in the case, supporting the property owner on the first Question Presented), County of Kauai v. Hanalei River Holdings, Ltd., No. SCWC-14-0000828.
The…
Rail: Building To The Nowhere Of Middle?
As we noted last week, the expanding costs of the Honolulu Rail project has forced Honolulu’s mayor to ask whether construction should be delayed or stopped entirely, short of its planned terminus at Ala Moana shopping center. “Middle Street” became the new rail watchword, even though stopping it there would omit — temporarily or…
Honolulu To Truncate Rail … For Now?
In a surprise move, Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell today announced that he supports suspending the Honolulu rail project at Middle Street, at least until there’s more money in the coffers. See “Mayor, Council chairman say rail should end at Middle Street for now” from Marcel Honore at the Star-Advertiser.
We think the…
Tex App: Rail Construction Cutting Off Access Can Be Inverse Condemnation – Even When There’s Been No Taking
We did a post a while back about a Houston barbecue restaurant which had some troubles with the Harris County, Texas, Metropolitan Transit Authority. The court of appeals held that the restaurant’s lost profits could not be recovered in an inverse condemnation action.
Well, that same court has rendered an opinion in a case involving…
Amicus Brief: NYC’s Highline Park Is A Taking: A “General” Easement Allowing All Uses Isn’t Really An Easement At All
Earlier today, we asked the Federal Circuit for its permission to file this amici brief urging the court to rehear its recent panel decision in Romanoff Equities, Inc. v. United States, No. 15-5034 (Fed. Cir. Mar. 10, 2016).
This is a rails-to-trails takings case in which the panel concluded that the words in the …
No Compensation For Bridge That Blocks View Of Taken Property, But Isn’t On Taken Property
Urban property at the intersection of two main thoroughfares can be pretty valuable. It’s about location, for sure, but it’s also about visibility and the ability to be seen from four directions.
Charlotte, NC needed a part of such property for a rail line extension. The rail will be in the middle of the road…
ALI-CLE 2016 Eminent Domain Conference, First Day: Standing Room Only, National Expertise
Here’s what’s going on today, the first day of the 33d annual ALI-CLE Eminent Domain and Land Valuation conference in Austin, Texas. We’re at standing room only, with a record number of attendees and our usual nationally renown faculty.
We started off the day with our usual “Eminent Domain Update” session with Amy…
It’s Here – 2016 ALI-CLE Eminent Domain Conference: Complete Agenda, Faculty, Registration Information
Here’s the full agenda for the 2016 Eminent Domain and Land Valuation Litigation / Condemnation 101 Conference, January 28-30, 2016, in Austin, Texas.
Together with our friend and colleague Joe Waldo, we think we’re put together a pretty good program that covers a lot of ground. This is the first time the conference has been…








