Post by Logan on Mar 22, 2016 18:50:32 GMT -6
ANCHORAGE — The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday overturned a National Park Service ban on the use of hovercraft by a moose hunter within a national preserve in Alaska, but in a narrowly focused ruling, sent the case back to a lower court for additional consideration.
The justices unanimously ruled that the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals erred in interpreting federal law. However, they did not rule on whether the Park Service can regulate hovercraft use, or whether the agency has regulatory authority over a river within that preserve for which the state claims ownership. Justices ruled that such state sovereignty issues should be first argued in lower courts.
Alaska Gov. Bill Walker at a news conference called the decision "a step in the right direction" toward asserting control over state-owned rivers and other lands in dispute with federal agencies.
"It's a long way from over but I'd rather be where we are today than where we were yesterday," Walker said.
Read more: juneauempire.com/state/2016-03-22/alaska-moose-hunter-wins-8-0-decision-us-supreme-court
The justices unanimously ruled that the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals erred in interpreting federal law. However, they did not rule on whether the Park Service can regulate hovercraft use, or whether the agency has regulatory authority over a river within that preserve for which the state claims ownership. Justices ruled that such state sovereignty issues should be first argued in lower courts.
Alaska Gov. Bill Walker at a news conference called the decision "a step in the right direction" toward asserting control over state-owned rivers and other lands in dispute with federal agencies.
"It's a long way from over but I'd rather be where we are today than where we were yesterday," Walker said.
Read more: juneauempire.com/state/2016-03-22/alaska-moose-hunter-wins-8-0-decision-us-supreme-court