Is there a more appropriate place at which to study property rights and dirt law than William and Mary Law School? After all, it is a stone’s throw from Jamestown, the place where there’s a good argument the concept of property law and property rights first took hold in the New World. As
Regulatory takings
IRWA’s Summary Of Major Eminent Domain Cases & Legislation (Jan-May 2022)
The International Right of Way Association‘s Real Estate Law Committee produces twice-a-year reports “which contain summaries of eminent domain decisions and legislation within the United States.”
And what is really nice is that they make the report available.
We’re posting it here because we’re one of the co-authors. Hat tip to our co-authors…
John Quincy Adams Loses A Takings Case
No, not that JQA. (Sorry for the clickbaitey headline.) But who could resist the Fifth Circuit’s per curiam opinion in John Quincy Adams v. Pearl River Valley Water Supply District, No. 21-60749 (July 20, 2022) which held that Mr. Adams, who owned property near a reservoir, could not sue state officials in federal court…
CA6: State Officials Enjoy 11th Amendment Immunity From Just Compensation Claims In Federal Court
In Skatemore, Inc. v. Whitmer, No. 21-2985 (July 19, 2022), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit held that neither the Just Compensation Clause, nor the Fourteenth Amendment abrogated the states’ immunity from being sued in federal court for compensation for takings.
This is another one of those cases where — due…
Iowa Rejoins The Fold: Right-To-Farm Statute Does Not Violate State Constitution
We were all set to detail the Iowa Supreme Court’s recent opinion in Garrison v. New Fashion Pork LLP, No. 21-0652 (June 20, 2022), when we discovered that Iowa State University’s Center for Agricultural Law and Taxation beat us to it with “Iowa Supreme Court Overrules Key Ag Nuisance Case.”
On June…
Montana: Owners Are You-Know-What-Out-Of-Luck For Sewage-Backup Damaging Claim, Unless They Show Torty Evidence
In Witman v. City of Billings, No. DA 20-0609 (July 5, 2022), the Montana Supreme Court rejected an inverse condemnation damaging claim after a grease clog in city sewers resulted in 1000 gallons of raw sewage flooding the Witman home. Ugh.
Despite rules that limit what is supposed to go into sewage systems, people…
New Cert Petition: Does Possibility Of Agency Regulation Restrict Property?
Here’s the latest in a case we’ve been following from when the takings case was rejected by the Court of Federal Claims, and the dismissal affirmed by the Federal Circuit.
Yes, this is the “bump stock” takings case, and the Federal Circuit decision has now triggered a cert petition.
You remember that …
Here’s The Full Speaker And Topic List For The Brigham-Kanner Property Rights Conference (Sep 29-30, 2022)
By now, you know that the 19th Brigham-Kanner Property Rights Conference is set for September 29-30, 2022, at the William and Mary Law School in Williamsburg, Virginia (register here – space is limited – fee ranges from free to $195 – a bargain!). And you know that our colleague Jim Burling is this…
You Can Sue Utah For Compensation In State Court, So No Injunction In Federal Court
A short one from the U.S. District Court in Utah, but worth reading because it highlights one of those unresolved issues: the remedy for a “takings” claim.
Now, you’ve heard the Supreme Court describe just compensation as the “default” remedy for regulatory takings and inverse claims. But it isn’t the only…
New Article: “Taking One for the Team: COVID-19 Eviction Moratoria as Regulatory Takings”
Check it out: a new article from the San Diego Law Review that’s worth reading. Here’s the Abstract:
This Comment explores potential Fifth Amendment challenges to COVID-19 eviction restrictions. Part II introduces California and federal COVID-19 eviction laws and lays out an organizational framework for analysis. Part III provides background on relevant regulatory takings jurisprudence.




