Monthly Archives: March 2014

March 13th, 2014 — In News & Events

SCOTUS Brandt Decision Neither Derails Owners’ Takings Claims Nor Rails-to-Trails Conversions

On Monday, March 10, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the landowner in Marvin M. Brandt Revocable Trust v. United States, No.12-1173 (Mar. 10, 2014), a rails-to-trails takings case. Writing for the majority, Chief Justice Robert’s clarified that the government, in this case the U.S. Forest Service, can not redefine commonly understood legal principles relating to real property and simply eliminate the property rights of landowners as a means to achieve its goal of expanding the National Trails System.

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