Supreme Court ruling means more Clean Water Act lawsuits are likely

In U.S. Army Corps of Engineers v. Hawkes Co., Inc., the eight active justices unanimously agreed that the determinations should be open to court review.


The Supreme Court opened the door to more lawsuits over the Clean Water Act in a Tuesday ruling that allowed businesses to challenge the federal government's decisions on which wetlands and streams it can regulate.

The ruling that Army Corps of Engineers wetland determinations are reviewable by courts also offers hints about the justices' leanings on broader, high-stakes questions about the law's reach that the high court will likely eventually consider in lawsuits over the Obama administration's Waters of the United States rule, which is being challenged by dozens of states, industry groups, activists and environmental nonprofits.

See the rest of the story here.