The Supreme Court passed on lobster boat tracking. The question will return.
On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear Frank Thompson's challenge to Maine's rule requiring lobstermen to carry a government GPS tracker on their boats at all times. The denial leaves in place a lower court decision that lets the state track Frank, a fifth-generation lobsterman from Vinalhaven, without a warrant 24 hours a day, whether ...
A hollow victory for a California car wash owner
On September 30, a California Labor Commissioner hearing officer dismissed a $249,007 wage citation against Christopher McKenna's Hermosa Beach business, Rock N Roll Car Wash. After a multi-day hearing, the officer found that the Commissioner failed to prove any of the alleged violations and dismissed the citation in its entirety. The decision f ...
Judge’s ruling protects due process rights of Californians caught in federal registration trap
On April 9, a federal judge issued a permanent injunction blocking the Department of Justice from prosecuting California residents under a federal sex-offender registration law without first confirming with the state that those individuals are required to register in the first place. PLF represents a group of plaintiffs who are caught in a bind ...
The state wants to track lobstermen’s every move. One is asking the Supreme Court to end it.
Everyone in Vinalhaven knows two things: the weather and the price of a lobster — $6. Ten miles off the coast of Maine, this rugged outcropping of fewer than 1,300 people is one of the cradles of the New England lobster industry. Dark evergreens cling to the hillsides above its blue coves; granite cliffs take the full force of the North Atlant ...
A Hawaii dolphin therapist’s case could shape the Comey and James appeal
Six months ago, James Comey and Letitia James had likely never heard of PLF client Eliza Wille or her dolphin therapy practice in Kona, Hawaii. Now, as the government fights to revive their indictments before the Fourth Circuit, their fates are closely tied to the psychotherapist's legal battle to save her business. Pacific Legal Foundation file ...
Federal court hands Florida property owner a major win in fight to protect his beach
For two decades, Leslie Daniels has owned a beachfront home in Palm Beach, Florida. His property includes a sandy beach parcel—land he holds title to, pays taxes on, and uses for family gatherings. For most of that time, the Town of Palm Beach agreed the beach was his. Town maps labeled it private. Police enforced trespassing laws on it. Official ...
A breakthrough for natural resource access and congressional oversight
Editor's note: On January 21, 2026 the U.S. House of Representatives passed a Congressional Review Act resolution to repeal the Public Land Order blocking access to the Duluth Complex. The resolution now moves to the Senate. For the first time in history, a Public Land Order is being submitted to Congress for review. That ...
Rhode Island court protects homeowner from unconstitutional permit demands
A coastal Rhode Island property owner secured a major victory last month when a judge entered final orders granting a preliminary injunction preventing the State's Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) from attaching unconstitutional conditions to a permit request. PLF client David Welch has been tangling with the CRMC for years. In 2023, ...
Victory after two decades : Florida Supreme Court upholds victory for Shands family
After 20 long years of legal battles, the Shands family has won their fight for justice. Last week, the Florida Supreme Court declined to review a lower court decision that vindicated the property rights of Rodney Shands and his siblings, paving the way for the family to finally make use of the island that bears their family name. In 1956, Dr. R ...