The court holds that an excess insurer did not have a duty to defend a trade association against negligence claims arising from standards the association set for its members' use of manganese in welding rods. A group of welders had sued the association claiming that the standards had exposed them to...

The court holds that an action alleging that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers adopted annual operating plans for the Missouri River for the 1995-1996 and 1996-1997 navigation seasons in violation of the National Environmental Policy Act is moot. The state and an environmental group contend that the ...

The court holds unconstitutional a state statute that allows out-of-state waste to be disposed of in Wisconsin only if the community where the waste originates adopts an ordinance that incorporates Wisconsin's specifications for recycling. The solitary difference between this law and an earlier law ...

The court affirms a district court dismissal of an oil company's action to obtain an order directing the Secretary of the Interior to restore lands once designated for federal oil and gas leases. The court first holds that the district court properly relied on Tenth Circuit precedent in holding that...

The court dismisses environmental groups' complaint alleging that the National Environmental Policy Act requires the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to prepare a supplemental programmatic environmental impact statement (PEIS) addressing new information concerning the use of the Los Alamos National L...

The court holds that assessments for solid waste disposal charged by a waste management district in Ohio are taxes under the Tax Injunction Act and are, therefore, constitutional. The assessments for waste generated in-district and out-of-state are the same, while the assessments for waste generated...

The court holds that a district court properly excluded homeowners' expert testimony in a case alleging that volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by a manufacturer's carpeting caused homeowners' respiratory illnesses. The court first holds that the district court erred by requiring the testimon...

The court holds that a company that allegedly sold the United States a lesser grade oil than required under contract specifications and then charged it for the higher grade oil is liable under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) for violating oil management regulations. The court first...

The Court holds that several bands of Chippewa Native Americans retain the right to hunt, fish, and gather on lands in Wisconsin and Minnesota that were ceded to the United States in an 1837 treaty. Minnesota claimed that an 1850 Executive Order, an 1855 treaty, and the 1858 admission of Minnesota a...

The Court holds that a district court's decision not to admit a tire expert's testimony in a products liability case concerning an allegedly defective tire was within its discretion and lawful. The Court first holds that the standard of evidentiary reliability established in Daubert v. Merrell Dow P...