Supreme Court Shows Growing Interest in CEQA

Nossaman Partner Robert Thornton was quoted in the Daily Journal article, "Supreme Court Shows Growing Interest in CEQA," regarding the spike in cases focusing on the California Environmental Quality Act. According to the article, the California Supreme Court has granted review in 20 CEQA cases over the past 10 years, more than tripling the number accepted in the previous decade. This increase could be driven by multiple factors, including the complexity of the law, the high volume of CEQA litigation taking place in the lower courts and the recent push by CEQA critics to reform the law.

Mr. Thornton stated that CEQA laws are "very unsettled."

"There's been a lot of confusion created over the years by loose language in court decisions," he said. "Reading between the lines, I see a desire in the Supreme Court to address that."