Landowners Win in Supreme Court Ruling

In a major victory for landowners nationwide, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a California woman must get her day in court to seek compensation for being barred from building on her Nevada land. The justices ruled unanimously that 82-year-old Bernadine Suitum’s 6-year-old lawsuit is procedurally ready for a ruling on its merits. The ruling rejected arguments by lawyers for the Clinton administration and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency. Had the justices ruled against Suitum, states and communities could have been given a green light to continue creative attempts at regulating land use without having to pay the “just compensation� the Constitution’s 5th Amendment requires for “takings� of private property for public use. The ruling instead could put a considerable crimp in such efforts.