Flying Crown Subdivision v. Alaska Railroad Corporation
Planes, trains, and property rights: battling government’s easement abuses
Represented at no charge by PLF, the subdivision's homeowners appealed the lower court's decision at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to stop the Alaska Railroad from enshrining easement holders' exclusionary powers at the expense of private property rights. ...
Williams v. California Dept. of Fish and Wildlife
Government’s regulatory Catch-22 threatens California’s future fishermen
Fishing is an ancient and noble profession. It is also unquestionably in Max Williams' DNA. His grandfather and parents have deep roots in California's fishing industry, their livelihoods built on decades of skill and success with gillnets—the set, passive nets that are best suited for commercial fishing in California waters. Max (second from ...
Fehily et al. v. Biden et al.
President Biden reboots Antiquities Act abuse with commercial fishing ban
Now that Biden has resuscitated powers that far exceed what the Antiquities Act was ever meant to do, Pat Fehily and Tim Malley, a 50-year fishing veteran and vessel owner, are fighting back. Represented at no charge by PLF, they're challenging this renewed violation of the Constitution's separation of powers and threat to the right of commercial f ...
New Mexico Cattle Growers’ Association v. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Government’s unnecessary protection for bountiful bird crushes property rights
Represented free of charge by PLF, the New Mexico Cattle Growers' Association is defending livelihoods, property values, and property rights in a federal challenge to the unlawful ESA listing. ...
Foster v. U.S. Department of Agriculture
Farming family fights government’s unconstitutional restrictions on their livelihood
Arlen and Cindy Foster are third-generation farmers in Miner County, South Dakota. They have a long history of responsible land conservation, including the tree line Arlen's father planted to prevent erosion. In the winter, deep snow drifts pile in the tree belt and come spring, the melting snow collects in a farm field. A federal agency ruled that ...
Skipper v. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Illegal critical habitat designation punishes family’s voluntary conservation efforts
The Skipper family has owned forestland in Clarke County, Alabama, since 1902, which it manages for timber production and conservation. In 1956 they established the Scotch Wildlife Management Area (WMA), agreeing to voluntarily open their land for the state's wildlife conservation efforts and outdoor recreation. In February 2020, the U.S. Fish and ...
Navigable Waters Cases
Fighting government’s make-believe, illegal definition of navigable waters
The Clean Water Act (CWA) has a seemingly simple purpose: protect the navigable waters of the United States from pollution. The federal agencies charged with carrying out and enforcing the law, however, have expanded the definition of "navigable waters" several times since the Act went on the books in 1972. Represented by PLF free of charge, a numb ...
Bears Ears National Monument Litigation
Defending public lands access for all
In December 2016, under cover of the Antiquities Act, President Obama unilaterally created the 1.35 million acre Bears Ears National Monument. One year later, President Trump slashed the size of the monument by 85 percent—to around 200,000 acres, freeing up more than one million acres for public use. Outerwear retailer Patagonia, environmental gr ...
California Cattlemen’s Association v. California Fish and Game Commission
Wandering lone wolf in California triggers “endangered” listing
Based on the sighting of a lone non-native gray wolf in California, the state Fish and Game Commission listed the gray wolf species under the California Endangered Species Act, effective January 1, 2017. On behalf of the California Cattlemen's Association, the California Farm Bureau Federation, and their members, PLF sued to invalidate this illegal ...