Case Law Index
Sustainable Agriculture

January 1, 2002 - February 1, 2011

This index provides a comprehensive though not necessarily exhaustive compilation of reported and unreported federal and state court decisions involving Sustainable Agriculture that were decided on or after January 1, 2002. For those cases that have been summarized by the National Agricultural Law Center, a link is provided to the summary. The index will be regularly updated to reflect new judicial developments. The cases are listed in reverse chronological order.

The "Text" link goes to the freely available Google Scholar text of the opinion; the "Summary" link goes to a summary of the opinion written by the National Agricultural Law Center staff.

FIRST CIRCUIT

Rhode Island Fishermen's Alliance, Inc. v. Dep't of Envtl. Mgmt., No. 07-230ML, 2008 WL 4467186 (D. R.I. Oct. 03, 2008) (conservation measures, species protection)   Text

Mass. Indep. Certification, Inc. v. Johanns, 486 F.Supp. 2d 105 (D.Mass. 2007) (challenge to NOP certification requirements)  Text    |    Summary

Harvey v. Johanns, 462 F.Supp. 2d 69 (D.Me. 2006) (post-amendment utility of consent decree)  Text    |    Summary

Harvey v. Veneman, 396 F.3d 28 (1st Cir. 2005) (consistency of Act and final rule)  Text    |    Summary

Harvey v. Veneman, 222 F.R.D. 213 (D.Me. 2004) (parties' proposed intervention in challenge to NOP)  Text    |    Summary

Harvey v. Veneman, 297 F.Supp. 2d 334 (D.Me. 2004) (consistency of Act and final rule)  Text    |    Summary

Harvey v. Veneman, No. Civ. 02-216-P-H, 2003 WL 22327171 (D.Me. Oct. 10, 2003) (Magistrate's Decision - consistency of Act and final rule)   Summary

SECOND CIRCUIT

New York v. Gutierrez, No. 08-CV-2503, 2008 WL 5000493 (E.D. N.Y. Nov. 20, 2008) (flounder fishery)

THIRD CIRCUIT

Cochran v. Veneman, 252 F.Supp.2d 126 (M.D.Pa. 2003) (dairy checkoff assessment)  Text

FOURTH CIRCUIT

Hill v. Courter III, 344 F.Supp.2d 484 (E.D. Va. 2004) (abstention of federal court)  Text    |    Summary

SIXTH CIRCUIT

Lawson v. Dutch Heritage Farms, Inc., 502 F.Supp.2d 698 (N.D.Ohio 2007) (horse-drawn buggy rides and personal injury)  Text

D.C. CIRCUIT

Partlo v. Johanns, No. Civ.A.04-1462 CKK, Civ.A.04-1779 CKK, 2006 WL 1663380 (D. D.C. June 11, 2006) (organic, disaster assistance)  Text

AGENCY DECISIONS

In re Mass. Indep. Certification, Inc., OFPA Docket No. 03-0001, 2004 WL 909533 (USDA 2004) (certification challenge)   Summary

CALIFORNIA

Eder v. Dep't of Fish & Game, 87 Cal.Rptr.3d 788 (Cal. Ct. App. 2009) (Dungeness crab permits)

Envtl. Prot. & Info. Ctr. v. Cal. Dep't of Forestry & Fire Prot., 187 P.3d 888 (Cal. 2008) (sustained yield plan)  Text

Ctr. for Bio. Diversity, Inc. v. FPL Group, Inc., 83 Cal.Rptr.3d 588 (Cal. Ct. App. 2008) (Wind turbines killing birds)  Text

CONNECTICUT

Abrams v. Jones, No. CV0440010035, 2005 WL 1331232 (Conn. Super. Ct. May 11, 2005) (product liability, apple cider)

Messina v. Fifty Acres, L.L.C., No. CV020098591S, 2004 WL 945058 (Conn. Super. Ct. April 14, 2004) (farm stands and zoning)

HAWAI'I

Geiger v. Hawai'i County Planning Com'n, 125 P.3d 1060 (Table) (Hawai'i 2005) (zoning for agritourism)

MINNESOTA

State of Minnesota v. Hartmann, 700 N.W.2d 449 (Minn. Sup. Ct. 2005) (inspection of custom-processed meat)   Text    |    Summary

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Carter v. Concord General Mut. Ins. Co., 924 A.2d 411 (N.H. 2007) (personal injury and hayrides)  Text

NEW JERSEY

N.J. Soc'y for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals v. N.J. Dep't of Agric., 196 N.J. 366 (N.J. 2008) (domestic livestock)  Text

N.J. Soc'y for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals v. N. J. Dep't of Agric., 2007 WL 486764 (N.J. Super. Ct. App. Div. Feb. 16, 2007) (humane treatment of livestock)

N.J. Farm Bureau v. Township of East Amwell, 882 A.2d 388 (N.J. Super. Ct. App. Div. 2005) (zoning and agriculture district)   Text

OHIO

McGuire v. Jewett, No. 2006-T-0071, 2007 WL 1810529, (Ohio Ct. App. June 22, 2007) (horse-drawn wagon rides and personal injury)   Text

Burya v. Lake Metroparks Bd. of Park Comm'rs, No. 2005-L-015, 2006 WL 2798294 (Ohio Ct. App. Sept. 29, 2006) (hayrides and personal injury)  Text

McGuire v. Jewett, No. 2004-T-0018, 2005 WL 1940368 (Ohio Ct. App. Aug. 12, 2005) (horse-drawn wagon rides and personal injury)  Text

VERMONT

In re Amended Petition of UPC Vt. Wind, LLC, 969 A.2d 144 (Vt. 2009) (certificate of public good, wind generation facility)  Text