PPL Montana, LLC v. Montana
| Docket No. | Op. Below | Argument | Opinion | Vote | Author | Term |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10-218 | Supreme Court of Montana |
Dec 7, 2011 Tr.Aud. |
Feb 22, 2012 | 9-0 | Kennedy | OT 2011 |
Holding: The Montana Supreme Court’s ruling that the state of Montana owns and may charge for use of the riverbeds at issue was based on an infirm legal understanding of the Court’s rules of navigability for title under the equal-footing doctrine.
Judgment: Reversed, 9-0, in an opinion by Justice Kennedy on February 22, 2012.
SCOTUSblog Coverage
- Opinion analysis: Montana dunked on riverbeds
- Argument recap: The law of portages
- Argument preview: In the footsteps of Lewis and Clark
CVSG Information
Invited: November 1, 2010
Filed: May 20, 2011 (Deny)
Briefs and Documents
Merits Briefs for the Petitioner Amicus Briefs in Support of the Petitioner- Brief for the United States of America
- Brief for The Creekside Coalition et al.
- Brief for Freeport-McMoran Corporation et al.
- Brief for the Mountain States Legal Foundation and the Utah Farm Bureau Federation
- Brief for the Montana Farm Bureau Federation et al.
- Brief for Professors John L. Allen et al.
- Brief for American Petroleum Institute et al.
- Brief for Montana Water Resources Association et al.
- Brief for Wilbur and Kathryn Hardy et al.
- Brief for Stephanie Ambrose Tubbs
- Brief for the National Wildlife Federation et al.
- Brief for the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance et al.
- Brief for Oregon et al.
Certiorari-stage documents
- Opinion below (Supreme Court of Montana)
