Land Use Law Commons^™

Keynote Address: Community Over Constitution, Riddhi Mukhopadhyay

Seattle University Law Review

In this keynote address, Riddhi Mukhopadhyay challenges the veneration of the U.S. Constitution by highlighting its origins in exclusion and its continued failure to protect marginalized communities. Drawing from her experience in civil legal aid and gender justice, she argues that the Constitution was drafted to consolidate power among white, wealthy men and continues to reflect that legacy through racial, gender, and class-based inequities. While acknowledging the significance of constitutional amendments and landmark cases, Mukhopadhyay emphasizes that meaningful change has always come from community-led action, not top-down reform. Additionally, Mukhopadhyay calls on lawyers and legal advocates to center community, practice …

The Lost Child: A Critique On Transracial Adoption Rhetoric, Hallie Conyers-Tucker

Seattle University Law Review

Transracial adoption in the United States reflects a deeply rooted history of colonialism, cultural assimilation, and racial hierarchy, masked by rhetoric focused on the “best interest of the child.” The author critiques that rhetoric and traces how adoption practices and policies, both domestic and international, have evolved to reinforce systemic inequities. Through historical analysis of the forced adoption of Native American, Black, and Asian children, it reveals how the best interest standard has been wielded not to protect children but to uphold political and racial ideologies. The author argues that the prevailing adoption framework relies on child-saving and color-blind narratives …

A Global Reconstruction: Black Internationalism And The Human Rights Regime, Britta Redwood

Seattle University Law Review

Black American advocates for civil, political, and economic rights have long taken an internationalist approach and fostered connections with international organizations and transnational movements. This engagement has also been a generative force and played role in shaping international law. Beginning in the early years of the twentieth century, Black intellectuals and leaders, spearheaded by the NAACP and the UNIA, focused on human rights as a means for addressing and repairing the harms wrought by slavery, Jim Crow, and racism. From the Paris Peace Conference of 1919 through the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Genocide Convention, and the drafting of …

The Gap: Addressing The Missing Piece In HawaiʻI’S Anti-Discrimination Laws On Credit And Lending, Wendy Mun

Seattle University Law Review

This author addresses the significant gap in Hawaiʻi’s anti-discrimination laws, specifically the lack of explicit protections for LGBTQ+ individuals against credit and lending discrimination. Although federal laws like the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) and recent interpretations by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) extend some protections, they remain vulnerable to shifting federal priorities and interpretations. The author explores how other states, particularly California and Washington, have enacted robust statutory protections that clearly prohibit credit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. They argue that Hawaiʻi, despite its large LGBTQ+ population, must amend its credit protection laws to reflect …

The U.S. Drug Policy Hamster Wheel: A Critical Discourse Analysis Of Seattle’S New Drug Ordinance, Hallie Conyers-Tucker

Seattle University Law Review

The author critically examines Seattle’s new drug ordinance using Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to reveal how legislative language influences the policy's actual effect. Although the ordinance claims to prioritize diversion and community health, the use of permissive language such as “may” and “shall” grants broad discretionary power to law enforcement and undermines the stated intent. The author situates the ordinance within a broader historical context, highlighting how drug policy in the United States has consistently been shaped by racialized and stigmatizing narratives. Additionally, the author argues that meaningful reform requires reframing the discourse around substance use to support public health …

Something Concrete: How Labor Advocates Can Best Respond To The Ambiguity Of Glacier Northwest, Ateş Serifsoy

Seattle University Law Review

The Supreme Court’s much-anticipated decision in Glacier North-west, Inc. v. International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local No. 174 (Glacier) marked a critical moment for workers’ rights under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) and the longstanding practice of Garmon preemption. Yet, initial fears of a significant rollback of workers’ rights, driven by sensational headlines, were met with an unexpectedly narrow Court opinion. This Comment examines Glacier’s implications for Gar-mon preemption and the right to strike. It offers the historical background of the doctrine of labor law preemption before Glacier; presents a detailed analysis of Glacier itself, including its …

A New Exclusionary Rule To Protect Bodily Integrity And Discourage Pretext Stops, Josephine Ross

Seattle University Law Review

The author proposes a novel state-level exclusionary rule to reduce racial profiling and protect bodily autonomy during police encounters. The current Fourth Amendment jurisprudence fails to deter pretextual stops and frisks because the exclusionary rule often turns on officer fault and "good faith," allowing racially motivated practices to go unchecked. As federal rollbacks on diversity and data collection hinder efforts to track racial bias, the author argues for a statutory evidentiary rule that automatically excludes drug evidence found during (1) traffic stops, (2) pat-downs for weapons, and (3) consent searches, regardless of an officer’s intent or the legality of the …

Navahine V. HawaiʻI Dept. Of Transportation: The Keiki Will Lead Us, Catherine Smith

Seattle University Law Review

The author analyzes the landmark case Navahine v. Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation, which culminated in the world’s first constitutional climate settlement. Catherine Smith, serving as an expert for the youth plaintiffs, situates the case within Hawaiʻi’s legal tradition of prioritizing children’s rights and intergenerational equity. She explores the evolution of children’s constitutional protections, contrasting Hawaiʻi’s progressive jurisprudence with the dominant adult-centric legal framework on the mainland. She critiques four recurring analytical missteps in U.S. courts that marginalize children’s interests and highlights Hawaiʻi’s public trust doctrine and cultural values, such as the Aloha Spirit, as models for addressing climate-related harms. …

Constitutional Futurism As Pedagogy, Jeremiah Chin

Seattle University Law Review

Constitutional Law has transformed from a course on history to a discussion of current events. Cases like Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard College, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, and Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo reveal that the study of constitutional law is not a static, or even linear, discussion of constitutional text and history. Law is a shifting, changing enterprise that reflects social constructions of power, authority, and identity. How do we teach, learn, and understand constitutional law that is so laden with history, riddled with theories of consistency and adherence to precedent, but ultimately subject …

Symposium Keynote: “A Call To Housing Advocacy”, Greg Payne

Maine Law Review

Keynote: A Call to Housing Advocacy

Strategic Development Plan – San Pedro Dr. Main Street Corridor, Adrian N. Carver

Student Publications

The San Pedro MainStreet Strategic Development Plan is a place-based, community-driven roadmap for revitalizing the San Pedro Drive corridor in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The corridor sits at the intersection of historical significance and present-day opportunity—bridging the old and new alignments of Route 66 while serving a diverse, working-class population. Drawing from urban planning theory, spatial analysis, and community input, this plan identifies challenges and assets related to land use, infrastructure, business development, housing, and cultural identity. Special attention is given to past and ongoing patterns of racialized disinvestment and displacement, with strategies proposed to ensure equitable reinvestment and climate resilience. …

The Mysterious Power Of Land Use Law: Constructing A Framework Law For Climate Resilient Development, John R. Nolon, Maureen Hartwell

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

This Article introduces and explains Climate Resilient Development (CRD), which is relied upon by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) as a primary method of managing climate change. CRD "integrates adaptation measures and their enabling conditions with mitigation to advance sustainable development for all." 1 CRD illuminates the close relationship between adaptive and mitigative development and land use law, particularly the authority delegated to local governments to regulate and incentivize private land development and conservation. The Article unveils a legal structure that is followed in most states to organize local laws that affect land development; as such, it facilitates …

What Is The Distribution Of National Historical Parks?, Randall K. Johnson

Faculty Works

In an increasingly polarized nation, which no longer can reach any consensus about what is meant by the term “common good,” it might be wise to extend additional protections to national monuments from executive branch interference. But prior to doing so, the U.S. Congress may want to undertake some additional research work. Such research could build on the existing charge of the National Park Service as well as other interested parties. By doing so, Congress gains insight into whether and how this federal legislature should expand protections for national historical parks.

My article explains, at least in part, how Congress …

Kedudukan Surat Hak Milik Yang Berasal Dari Tanah Ulayat Masyarakat Hukum Adat Papua (Studi Kasus Putusan Mahkamah Agung Nomor 4241 K/Pdt/2022), Ulfa Riany Fajrin

Indonesian Notary

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengaturan tanah ulayat di masyarakat hukum adat Papua berdasarkan peraturan perundang-undangan yang berlaku, mengetahui kedudukan surat hak milik yang berasal dari tanah ulayat masyarakat hukum adat Papua berdasarkan Putusan Mahkamah Agung Nomor 4241 K/Pdt/2022. Di Papua, tanah ulayatnya dapat diperjualbelikan melalui pelepasan hak atas tanah adat dan terdapat pengaturannya pada UU Otsus Papua dan Perdasus Papua. Kemudian dapat dilanjutkan dengan permohonan penerbitan kepemilikannya. Pengakuan hak milik sering bertentangan dengan hukum adat karena tidak selaras dengan konsep hukum modern. Dalam penelitian ini penulis menggunakan metode penelitian hukum doktrinal. Dimana penelitian hukum doktrinal menggunakan penelitian kepustakaan ataupun …

Urgensi Dokumen Persetujuan Pasangan Kawin Yang Dibuat Secara Bawah Tangan Sebelum Penandatanganan Akta Pendirian Commanditaire Vennootschap (Studi Kasus Di Kabupaten Bandung), Ambria Rahma Widiastuti

Indonesian Notary

This thesis analyzes the legal provisions governing the mandatory existence of a document of consent from the spouses, made underhand before the signing of the deed of establishment of Commanditaire Vennootschap (hereinafter "CV"), and the legal consequences if the deed of establishment of CV is signed without the consent of the spouses. This research method uses a doctrinal approach through a literature study and is analyzed qualitatively. Article 36 paragraph (1) stipulates that "everything related to joint property that will be carried out legal action against it requires the consent of both parties." The legal agreements undertaken by a CV …

Konsekuensi Pembatalan Akta Autentik Yang Terdapat Praktik Nominee/Pinjam Nama Bagi Beneficiary (Studi Putusan Pengadilan Tinggi Denpasar Nomor 247/Pdt/2021/Pt Dps), Talitha Mumtaz

Indonesian Notary

This research analyzes the implementation of nominees in the field of land tenure in Indonesia, as well as how an authentic deed made before a notary has a nominee element in it and also the consequences for the beneficiary of cancelling the authentic deed because the authentic deeds contained nominee practices. The research was compiled using doctrinal research methods. The implementation of nominee practices in an authentic deed is made by making a series of agreements whose contents indirectly transfer ownership from the nominee whose name is listed on the certificate of ownership, to the beneficiary, which in this case …

Analisis Pelaksanaan Redistribusi Objek Tanah Landreform Dan Keadilan Bagi Masyarakat Desa Kalasey Dua Atas Status Tanah Yang Dikuasai Negara., Ashley Juniare Maria Rengkung

Indonesian Notary

As land plays an important role in everyday life, it is necessary to pay attention to rights and protection regarding its implementation. The Basic Agrarian Law itself has derivatives, one of which discusses Land Redistribution as regulated in Presidential Regulation Number 88 of 2017 concerning Settlement of Land Tenure in Forest Areas. However, after the ratification of Presidential Regulation Number 62 of 2023 concerning the Acceleration of Implementation of Agrarian Reform, Presidential Regulation Number 88 of 2017 and Presidential Regulation Number 86 of 2018 concerning Agrarian Reform are revoked and replaced with Presidential Regulation Number 62 of 2023 concerning Accelerating …

Implikasi Hukum Pembatalan Akta Jual Beli Saham Akibat Pembeli Cidera Janji (Analisis Kasus Pada Putusan No. 105/Pdt.G/2021/Pn Jkt.Sel), Riva Mahfuzhah Saphira

Indonesian Notary

Unfulfilled payment of shares are on of the problems that might arise when a limited company’s shares are transferred through a transaction that are not carried according to the shares transfer procedure in UUPT. The issues raised in this thesis pertain to the legal construction contained in the act of sale of shares that can protect the seller's interests in the event that the buyer fails to make payment and the notary's liability in the event that the buyer fails to make payment in the sale of shares, through the discussion of the case in Decision Number 105/PDT.G/2021/PN JKT.SEL. This …

Pemberian Tantiem Kepada Direksi Yang Telah Diberhentikan (Studi Kasus Putusan Mahkamah Agung 2530k/Pdt/2022), A Aru Ogika

Indonesian Notary

This research aims to analyze the legal construction of giving bonuses to a Limited Liability Company, especially giving them to bank directors who have been dismissed by the Company and its correlation with the legal consequences of not giving bonuses. This research was prepared using doctrinal research methods. The research results show that the legal construction in granting bonuses must refer to the principles of benefit and justice. The conditions for granting bonuses as stipulated in several statutory regulations, namely performance, risk and profit generation, are in accordance with the principles of benefit and justice, while the inclusion of conditions …

Problematika Hukum Pengadaan Tanah Ibu Kota Nusantara Di Wilayah Transmigrasi Desa Bumi Harapan Kecamatan Sepaku Kabupaten Penajam Paser Utara (Studi Putusan Pengadilan Tinggi Samarinda Nomor 222/Pdt/2023/Pt Smr), Merry Christiangie

Indonesian Notary

The development of the Capital City of the Archipelago raises several legal problems, one of which is land disputes between transmigrants and local communities. In the process of preparing transmigration settlements, there are six processes, one of which is land provision. This paper is prepared using doctrinal research method. In this research, the issues raised are related to land disputes between local communities and landowners of transmigration areas in the process of land acquisition at the location of the Nusantara Capital City in Bumi Harapan Village and the juridical basis of the judge's thinking which later won the transmigrants in …

Kedudukan Akta Jual Beli Atas Tanah Yang Diperjualbelikan Sepihak Tanpa Melibatkan Ahli Waris Lainnya (Studi Putusan Nomor 359/Pk/Pdt/2020, Oktaviani Nurul Suci

Indonesian Notary

This research is motivated by the existence of a legal act of buying and selling rights to inherited land which should be carried out involving other heirs who have the rights to the inherited land. Heirs have legal rights to certain inheritances and the transfer of these rights must be carried out in accordance with applicable law. The problem in this research is the strength of the sale and purchase deed for the act of sale carried out by one of the heirs which does not involve other heirs and the correlation of Article 32 paragraph (2) PP Number 24 …

Editors And Staff Members

Public Land & Resources Law Review

No abstract provided.

Table Of Contents

Public Land & Resources Law Review

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Letter From The Editors

Public Land & Resources Law Review

No abstract provided.

Property Clause Power Play: The Blm's Conservation Rule And Loper Bright, Meridian S. Wappett, Sandra B. Zellmer

Public Land & Resources Law Review

This article examines the implications of Loper Bright on public land management through rulemaking. Part II provides a comprehensive overview of the case, its holding, and its potential ramifications. Part III delves into the history of the Administrative Procedure Act (“APA”), to illuminate the evolution and underlying rationale for agency deference. Part IV analyzes the constitutional framework underpinning the BLM’s statutory authority, rooted primarily in the Property Clause, which delegates the task of making “needful” rules governing public lands to Congress and to federal land management agencies. Finally, Part V argues that the Rule is valid, whether a reviewing court …

A Most Essential Power: The Case For Restoring Comprehensive Land Use Authority In Indian Country, Michelle Bryan

Public Land & Resources Law Review

Part I of this article provides a brief overview of allotment and its lingering jurisdictional quagmire on impacted reservations. Stepping outside of Indian Country, Part II then outlines the U.S. Supreme Court’s longstanding recognition of sweeping, area-wide government land use authority—authority it considers among the “most essential” and “least limitable.” The Court has never applied this established law when determining tribal sovereignty over land use. That application is long overdue.

Part III details how we arrived at this state of affairs—how tribes, despite starting with sovereign control over land use throughout their territories, experienced losses in that authority over time …

Water Knows No Boundaries: Tribal Jurisdiction Over Non-Indians' Off-Reservation Conduct That Threatens On-Reservation Tribal Water Resources, Wesley J. Furlong, Lori E. Blumenthal

Public Land & Resources Law Review

This Article begins by discussing Manoomin and Sauk-Suiattle, orienting the reader to how these complicated jurisdictional issues have been addressed by Tribal courts. Next, this Article sets forth the current framework under Montana and Merrion for determining the extent of Tribal civil jurisdiction over non-Indians. Next, this Article examines the caselaw establishing Tribal Nations’ inherent sovereign authority to exercise civil jurisdiction over non-Indian activities and conduct occurring on-reservation that threaten or affect Tribal water resources and rights. Finally, this Article examines the caselaw that lays the groundwork for extending Tribal Nations’ civil jurisdiction over non-Indian activities and conduct occurring off-reservation …

Treaty Justice: Charles Wilkinson's Homage To The Boldt Decision, Michael C. Blumm

Public Land & Resources Law Review

Charles Wilkinson, a beloved teacher, author, and advisor, gave his readers perhaps his most personal gift in Treaty Justice: The Northwest Tribes, the Boldt Decision, and the Recognition of Fishing Rights (U. Washington Press, 2024). Wilkinson finished the manuscript just a week before his unexpected death, at age 81, in 2023. The book is a blend of personal memoirs of countless encounters of people involved in the seminal Boldt decision–which revolutionized treaty fishing rights– and its aftermath, and part of legal history by an analyst who was acutely sensitive to the vagaries of both law and history. We are fortunate …

Abandoning The Iron Horse: Railroad Rights-Of-Way And The Implied Doctrine Of Reverter On Indian Reservations, Arthur B. Macomber

Public Land & Resources Law Review

Land title issues on Indian Reservations are notoriously but unnecessarily complex. Unsettled land titles and the resulting fragile land ownership status on Indian Reservations are well-known factors impeding productive land uses, the cure of environmental degradation, and Indian sovereignty, ownership, and control over sustainable land uses. Some lawsuits even question the existence of a Reservation itself. Land titles to many parcels on Indian Reservations have been split into thousands of owners. Using existing law and principles of equity, abandoned Reservation rights-of-way of many types do not have to sit unused and economically unproductive. Future lawsuits and other wasteful societal friction …

Powering Progress: How Ferc Order 2023'S Cluster Study Process Aims To Revolutionize Grid Interconnection, Lowell J. Chandler

Public Land & Resources Law Review

This Article analyzes Order 2023’s cornerstone reform: the replacement of the traditional first-come, first-served serial queue process with a more sophisticated first-ready, first-served cluster study approach. The Article also provides a basic introduction to utility regulation in the United States. While Order 2023’s change promises to revolutionize grid interconnection, the Article also considers whether additional reforms may be necessary to fully realize FERC’s vision of an efficient, equitable interconnection process.