- State v. Rosenbruch-Decker
ENVIRONMENTAL LAW
Court of Appeals of Alaska (2025)
Olivia Sontag
In State v. Rosenbruch-Decker, 567 P.3d 715 (Alaska Ct. App. 2025), the Court of Appeals of Alaska held that two game guides violated a regulation prohibiting “taking” of game animal with the aid of a wireless communication device when they used a radio to locate and kill a ...
- Center for Biological Diversity v. United States Bureau of Land Management
ENVIRONMENTAL LAW
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (2025)
Adam Yaggy
In Center for Biological Diversity v. United States Bureau of Land Management, 141 F.4th 976 (9th Cir. 2025), the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit held that the Bureau of Land Management’s use of the “full field development” standard to approve ...
- Cassell v. State
ENVIRONMENTAL LAW
Supreme Court of Alaska (2025)
Adam Yaggy
In Cassell v. State, 567 P.3d 1273 (Alaska 2025), the Supreme Court of Alaska held that a regulation treating Alaska residents differently than nonresidents for the purpose of hunting Kodiak brown bears did not violate the Alaska state constitution. (Id. at 1275). A hunting regulation places allocation requirements on ...
- Alaska Department of Fish and Game v. Federal Subsistence Board
ENVIRONMENTAL LAW
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (2025)
Mike Galane
In State, Department of Fish & Game v. Federal Subsistence Board 139 F.4th 773 (9th Cir. 2025), the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit held that ANILCA provides the Federal Subsistence Board the power to authorize an emergency subsistence hunt on ...
- Alaska Trappers Association, Inc. v. City of Valdez
ENVIRONMENTAL LAW
Supreme Court of Alaska (2024)
Caitlyn Leary
In Alaska Trappers Ass’n, Inc. v. City of Valdez, 548 P.3d 332 (Alaska 2024), the supreme court held that a city ordinance regulating trapping was a valid exercise of the city’s authority over public safety and land use. (Id. at 340). In 2005, the City of Valdez enacted an ...
- Williams Alaska Petroleum, Inc. v. State
ENVIRONMENTAL LAW
Supreme Court of Alaska (2023)
Hannah Berg
In Williams Alaska Petroleum Inc. v. State, 529 P.3d 1160 (Alaska 2023), the supreme court held that sulfolane is a hazardous substance pursuant to Alaska Statute (AS) 46.03.826(5)(A) of the Environmental Conservation Act. (Id. at 1177). Williams Alaska Petroleum, Inc. and The Williams Companies, Inc. operated a North Pole ...
- Center for Biological Diversity v. United States Fish & Wildlife Service
ENVIRONMENTAL LAW
United States Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit (2023)
Catherine Cole
In Center for Biological Diversity v. United States Fish & Wildlife Service, 67 F.4th 1027 (9th Cir. 2023), the Ninth Circuit decided a government entity’s designations of areas as either an occupied critical habitat or as an unoccupied critical habitat were arbitrary and capricious decisions. (Id. ...
- In re Clean Water Act Rulemaking
ADMINISTRATIVE LAW; ENVIRONMENTAL LAW
United States Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit (2023)
Katie Raya
In In re Clean Water Act Rulemaking, 60 F.4th 583 (9th Cir. 2023), the 9th Circuit held that courts may not vacate agency actions in conjunction with granting requests for voluntary remands without first holding the agency action unlawful. (Id. at 588). The case ...
- Safari Club International v. Haaland
ENVIRONMENTAL LAWUnited States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit (2022)Kristiana OlsonIn Safari Club International v. Haaland, 31 F.4th 1157 (9th Cir. 2022), the court held that theAlaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) preserves the federal government’sauthority over Alaska’s public lands. (Id. at 1165). In 2013, Alaska expanded access to brown bearhunting. (Id. at 1166). The ...
- United States v. Alaska
ENVIRONMENTAL LAWUnited States District Court, District of Alaska (2022)Sam MacDuffieIn United States v. Alaska, 608 F. Supp. 3d 802 (D. Alaska 2022), the court granted the UnitedStates’ motion for preliminary injunction of an Alaskan state order allowing any Alaskan to gillnetfish in the Kuskokwim River. (Id. at 814). The federal Alaska National Interest LandsConservation Act ...
