PLF files merits brief in Weyerhaeuser v. US Fish & Wildlife Service

This week Pacific Legal Foundation filed its merits brief supporting the petitioner, Weyerhaeuser Company, in Supreme Court Case No. 17-71, Weyerhaeuser Co. v. United States Fish & Wildlife Service. Earlier this year the Court granted certiorari; we expect to hear soon from the Clerk of Court when oral argument will occur.

In this case, we represent a number of private landowners who, along with Weyerhaeuser, found their property designated critical habitat, pursuant to the Endangered Species Act, for a frog not seen anywhere near their property for over fifty years. Our clients and Weyerhaeuser challenged that designation and now the challenge has risen to the highest court in the land.

Shepherding a brief like this reminds me that ‘many hands make for light work‘ – and many hands were indeed involved in putting this brief together. The team of attorneys on the case for PLF include Damien Schiff, Tony Francois, Christina Martin, Oliver Dunsford, and Jonathan Wood. The leader of our team, the estimable Reed Hopper, is no longer here, but he continued to guide the work as we put it together.

But mentioning the attorneys on the team only scratches the surface of everyone involved. The attorneys are lucky to be supported by some of the best paralegals and legal secretaries in the business, including Julia Coukoulis, Eileen Dutra, Kiren Matthews, Tawnda Elling, and Paula Puccio. They make the attorneys look good, time after time.

We will write more about the case in the coming months as the oral argument date approaches.