Category Archives: United States Supreme Court Decisions

Unanimous Victory in United States Supreme Court for Landowners

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Last week, Chief Justice Roberts wrote a unanimous opinion in the case United States Army Corps of Engineers v. Hawkes, holding that landowners do have the right to challenge jurisdictional determinations by the EPA that water on their lands is governed by the Clean Water Act.  This decision is extremely important for landowners across the country.  [Read full opinion here.] Background The full factual background of this case was set forth in this prior blog post.  Essentially, the Corps of Engineers (COE) determined that waters on land owned by… Read More →

June 10, 2016 Weekly Round Up

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We have several new blog readers this week thanks to several presentations I’ve given recently.  Two weeks ago, I was in Lubbock for the 10th Annual State Bar of Texas John Huffaker Agricultural Law Course.  In my book, this is absolute must-attend for any agricultural law attorneys!  Kudos to course directors David Waggoner and Trace Blair for all of their hard work.  Last week, I traveled to Stillwater, Oklahoma and Ft. Worth, Texas for our Ranchers’ Leasing Workshops, funded by the Southern Extension Risk Management Education Center.  We… Read More →

January 8, 2016 Weekly Round Up

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Happy  New  Year!  I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and are ready to tackle 2016. I kicked off my year speaking to a great group of folks at the Blacklands Income Growth Conference in Waco on Tuesday.  I had an absolute blast discussing agricultural law issues and answering great questions from the audience.  To those of you joining us from the BIG Conference, welcome! Here are some of the ag law stories that have been in the news recently. * Big Bend Pipeline Project Closer To… Read More →

2015 National Agriculture Law Year in Review (Part II)

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Today we continue in our review of national agricultural law developments in 2015.  If you missed Part I of this series, click here. EPA Revokes Approval for Suloxaflor and Enlist Duo.  Just a few weeks ago, the EPA announced it would revoke approval for suloxaflor (active ingredient in Transform) and withdraw its approval for the Enlist Duo.  Both were a result of litigation filed by environmental groups challenging the approval of these products.  Dow Chemical has stated it is confident that the EPA’s concerns can be addressed quickly… Read More →

August 14, 2015 Weekly Round Up

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Last Friday I visited with a group of West Texas landowners at the Permian Basin Oil and Gas Conference.  Thank you all for your great questions and for those of you new to the blog, welcome!  Here are some ag law stories in the news this week. * EPA To Blame for Catastrophic Spill on Animas River.  One of the biggest national news stories this week, unfortunately, involved a catastrophic spill of contaminated water out of the Gold King Mine into the Animas River.  The spill of over… Read More →

July 3, 2015 Weekly Round Up

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Happy July to everyone!  Yesterday, I participated in the Texas Range Webinar Series and gave a presentation on water law.  We had a great turn out for the webinar and fantastic questions! To those of you joining us from the webinar, welcome! The month kicked off with a bang as far as ag law in the news is concerned.  Here are some of the key stories making news this week. * TCEQ Files Petition for TX Supreme Court Review in Surface Water Case.  The TCEQ is seeking review… Read More →

June 26, 2015 Weekly Round Up

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It was a busy week for ag law!  In addition to the United States Supreme Court’s decision in the “raisin case” (read my summary here in case you missed it), here are some of the other ag law stories in the news this week: *United States Supreme Court Will Not Hear Appeal in Whooping Crane Case.  The US Supreme Court has denied a petition for certiorari filed by The Aransas Project seeking review in “the whopping crane case” as it has become known.  The case involved a claim… Read More →

United States Supreme Court Finds for Raisin Farmers in Takings Case

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It is not that often that an agricultural law issue is before the United States Supreme Court.  Yesterday, however, the Court sided with raisin farmers who claimed that a government ag marketing order constituted a taking of their private property for which just compensation was owed.  [Read full opinion here.] Factual Background This case involves a claim by the Horne family against the United States Department of Agriculture.  The Hornes are raisin farmers and raisin growers in California.  In addition to raising their own raisins, they serve as sort… Read More →

February 27, 2015 Weekly Round Up

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Happy Friday!  Last week I was in Washington, DC speaking at the USDA Outlook Forum.  It was a great conference and I enjoyed the opportunity to participate!  A special thank you to Shayle Shagam and David Anderson for inviting me to speak. Here are a few ag law stories in the news this week. *  Denton Fracking Cases With Both Be Heard in Denton County.  After Denton voters passed a ban on fracking within city limits last November, two lawsuits were filed challenging the ban.  The Texas Oil and Gas Association… Read More →

Seed Saving Law: What Farmers Need to Know

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I recently wrote an article for Progressive Forage Grower magazine providing an overview of seed saving law in the United States.  This is a legal issue that farmers need to understand and ensure they follow to avoid costly fines and litigation. Bowman v. Monsanto In 2012, an Indiana farmer, Vernon Hugh Bowman, found himself before the United States Supreme Court in a battle over his planting soybean seeds on his 65 acre farm.  The seeds he planted were produced by Monsanto and genetically modified to survive the spraying… Read More →