Obtaining a Recreational Marijuana License from Your Local Municipality
State AG Pulse | Local Job, National Impact
It’s Not Easy Being Green: How To Comply with the Latest Cannabis Regulations
Recreational Marijuana Use Legalized in NYS – Your Questions Answered
The State of Cannabis in New York
Williams Mullen's COVID-19 Comeback Plan: Part I – Doing Business With the Commonwealth of Virginia
Lifting the Fog Over Lobbying Compliance
Homeless Assistance Centers and the NIMBY Response
Rapid Transit Zones in Miami-Dade County
[WEBINAR] Exploring the CPRA’s Investigatory Privilege
Real Estate Developer Rights When Cities Demand Too Much
[WEBINAR] Clearing the Smoke: 3 Years of Legal Cannabis in California
[WEBINAR] Housing and Land Use Legislative Update
[WEBINAR] Navigating California’s New Regulations for Wetlands and State Waters
[WEBINAR] Understanding and Responding to the FCC Cable In-Kind and Mixed Use Order
[WEBINAR] Advancing the Policy Discussion Around Housing
[WEBINAR] Innovative Partnerships to Overcome Housing Challenges in Communities
[WEBINAR] Focusing on the “US” in HoUSing: Merging Housing, Transportation, Incentives and Community
[WEBINAR] Update: Social Media Meets the First Amendment
[WEBINAR] Planning in the Coastal Zone
A recent decision of the Massachusetts Appeals Court sets an important precedent in favor of solar development in the Commonwealth. In Sunpin Energy Services, LLC v. Zoning Board of Appeals of Petersham, the court unanimously...more
It has been a long-standing cardinal rule in Pennsylvania that municipal authorities were beyond the regulatory reach of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (“PUC”). ...more
On March 21, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California affirmed a bankruptcy court’s dismissal of the San Benito Healthcare District’s chapter 9 bankruptcy petition on the grounds that the...more
In a case analyzing whether invitations to town hall meetings regarding COVID-19 were exempted from liability by the TCPA’s emergency purposes exception, the Tenth Circuit declined to address whether a municipality is a...more
Earlier this month, a California appellate court issued an order in People v. Huntington Beach indicating that California’s intermediate appellate court will hold that there is a limit on the power of localities to manage...more
Land use matters in Rhode Island are often challenging to interpreappt and navigate. In fact, the Ocean State is known for having among the most restrictive policies for zoning and land use control in the U.S. It’s not hard...more
In the forthcoming case of Roundtree v. City of Page,2 the Arizona Supreme Court will weigh in on a reoccurring political issue that bubbles up in cities and towns across the state: under what circumstances does a proposed...more
Federal and state authorities throughout the country have adopted pro-renewable energy policy goals to promote the growth of alternative energy sources using climate-friendly technologies. With the passage of the Inflation...more
In a unanimous decision, the Court of Appeals upheld the Second Department’s decision in Hunters For Deer v Town of Smithtown that the Town may not regulate discharge setbacks for bow and arrow in a manner inconsistent with...more
In the first appellate decision to decide the issue since the Supreme Court decision in BP P.L.C. v. Mayor & City Council of Baltimore, the 10th Circuit ruled this week that climate damage claims brought by several Colorado...more
On January 4, 2022, the New York Court of Appeals heard oral argument in the case of Hunters For Deer, Inc. v Town of Smithtown, where conflicting provisions of a Town of Smithtown firearm ordinance and the Environmental...more
A project challenger failed to exhaust administrative remedies because an email exchange and dinner meeting with city officials expressing general concerns about a recent permit approval did not satisfy the burden to...more
In a major recent decision, the California Court of Appeal rejected a city’s interpretation of what constitutes an “objective” standard under the Housing Accountability Act (HAA), Government Code section 65589.5, and upheld...more
On January 14, 2021, Governor Baker signed the Act Enabling Partnerships for Growth (the “Act”). Although Governor Baker vetoed specific parts of the Act, it includes a number of provisions that affect local zoning....more
Ninth Circuit Takes on FCC Small Cell Orders - The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals handed local governments some wins in a decision last week arising from the court’s consolidation of five appeals from three FCC 5G...more
A popular topic on this blog is standing in the context of a challenge to a municipal determination, primarily under the State Environmental Quality Review Act. A recent case issued by the Appellate Division, Second...more
California Appellate Court Invalidates Water District Board Election - A recent decision by a California appellate court highlights the importance of holding elections in accordance with the time and date requirements of...more
California Appellate Court Looks to Local Ordinance’s Intention for Determination - In determining what makes a “super majority” of a governing body, a California appellate court said the entire number of seats on the body...more
In Matter of Magid Setauket Assoc., LLC v The Town of Brookhaven Bd. of Zoning Appeals, the petitioners were the owner and the operator (“Petitioners”) of a Shell gas station located in the Old Setauket Historic District (the...more
California Appellate Court Says Charter City Cannot Block California Values Act - In a significant decision addressing the tension between charter city “home rule” authority and state law, a California appellate court...more
In SEQRA litigation, there is an oft-quoted proposition that the Lead Agency may not abdicate or defer its responsibilities under SEQRA to another agency. See Riverkeeper, Inc. v. Planning Bd. of Town of Se., 9 N.Y.3d 219,...more
The First District Court of Appeal held that the San Francisco County Transportation Authority is a state agency and thus did not need to comply with local public access rules. SF Urban Forest Coalition v. City and County of...more
The Supreme Court, Suffolk County recently upheld a determination of the Southampton Town Zoning Board of Appeals (“ZBA”) perhaps ending a lengthy and controversial review of the development of a day camp on residentially...more
For decades, the California State Legislature has enacted numerous laws that limit the authority of local governments to constrain the supply and affordability of housing. These include the Housing Element Law, which requires...more
A recent Second Department decision, Matter of Reddock v New York State Dept. of Envtl. Conservation, highlights a unique procedural quirk involving Article 78 proceedings where the challenge is based upon “substantial...more