Articles

17 states : The time has come to reconsider Chevron deference and this is the case to do it with

July 06, 2018 | By JONATHAN WOOD

As the President prepares to nominate a new Supreme Court justice, one of the major issues likely to turn on that choice is the fate of Chevron deference. According to that infamous doctrine, courts must defer to agency’s interpretations of the statutes they administer unless that interpretation is patently unreasonable. In practice, courts h ...

Articles

In Northeast Canyons monument case, will President Trump follow the Secretary of Interior’s recommendation to lift illegal fishing prohibitions or will he defend his predecessor’s Antiquities Act abuse?

March 22, 2018 | By JONATHAN WOOD

The wheels of justice grind slowly. And sometimes they come to a complete halt. That’s what happened over the past year to fishermen challenging the illegal designation of a 5,000 square mile national monument in the Atlantic Ocean. The first anniversary of the filing of their case passed several weeks and they are still waiting … ...

Articles

Yes, Trump can revoke national monuments

September 27, 2017 | By JONATHAN WOOD

The Washington Post has published my op-ed defending the President’s power to revoke existing national monuments. Several months ago, President Trump ordered a review of the last 21 years of monument designations. For good reason, the evidence is indisputable that abuse of the monument power has been far worse the last few years. … ...

Articles

Does President Trump know that his Administration is blocking an important Michigan road project?

August 31, 2017 | By MARK MILLER

On behalf of its client the Marquette County Road Commission, PLF filed its Reply Brief in Marquette County Road Commission v. EPA. … ...

Articles

What next for President Trump’s reconsideration of national monuments?

July 11, 2017 | By JONATHAN WOOD

Yesterday was the deadline for public comments on the Department of Interior’s recommendation to the President about what to do about the 27 large national monuments established since the Clinton administration. … ...

Articles

Congressional leaders question attorney general about Duarte Nursery case

May 31, 2017 | By TONY FRANCOIS

Last Thursday, the chairmen of the House Agriculture and Judiciary Committees sent this letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions, stating their concern that the Clean Water Act is being used to regulate and enforce against plowing and other normal farming practices that are not subject to permitting requirements under the Act: The prosecution of Mr ...

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PLF's Damien Schiff announced as future nominee to the Court of Federal Claims

May 08, 2017 | By JOSHUA THOMPSON

President Trump has announced his intent to nominate PLF Senior Attorney Damien Schiff to the Court of Federal Claims. There, he will join former PLF attorney, Judge Victor Wolski. We at PLF are very grateful for having had Damien for the past 13 years, but our loss is the Republic’s gain. We fully expect Damien’s confirmation … ...

Articles

Is the ocean "land owned or controlled by the Federal government"?

March 07, 2017 | By JONATHAN WOOD

As President Obama’s final term came to a close, he engaged in what has unfortunately become a favorite pastime for lame duck Presidents: trying to build a legacy by abusing the Antiquities Act. President Obama was the Barry Bonds of this abuse, shattering his predecessors’ records. All told, he declared more than 550 million acres  ...

Articles

Judge Neil Gorsuch : superbly well-qualified

February 01, 2017 | By MARK MILLER

  When President Trump announced that he selected Judge Neil Gorsuch as his nominee for the Supreme Court of the United States, PLF promptly released its statement recognizing that Judge Gorsuch is superbly qualified for appointment to the High Court. We can now dive deeper into his background and jurisprudence to explain why this is so. R ...