Category Archives: News

Conservation Lawsuit Revived—Whether Act Is Inconsistent With Another Law Does Not Deprive Court Of Jurisdiction

The Fourth Circuit again reversed dismissals under Rule 12(b) in Goldfarb v. Mayor and City Council of Baltimore, in a case regarding contamination claims brought under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, 42 USC sec. 6901, et seq. The City of Baltimore gave a parcel of land near the Patapsco River, formerly used for ... Read More

U.S. Supreme Court: Same-Sex Marriage Is a Right

[caption id="attachment_315" align="alignright" width="150"] Photo Credit: US Rep. Mark Pocan Twitter[/caption] Coincidentally timed on the anniversary of the decisions in Lawrence v. Texas and U.S. v. Windsor, two prior gay-rights cases, Justice Kennedy announced the majority opinion in Obergefell v. Hodges, in which the five-person majority held that the Fourteenth Amendment requires all ... Read More

DC: Emergency Legislation on April 14– Pop-ups

[caption id="attachment_248" align="alignright" width="150"] Photo Credit: Stop The Pop DC[/caption] Pop-ups (upper-level expansions of DC row houses) have recently become the topic of discussions, particularly in light of some fairly ugly or disproportionate examples. The DC Council will hear emergency legislation absolutely and immediately banning pop-ups until ... Read More

How the ‘Drummer Boy’ Decision May Affect Us Locally

The D.C. Court of Appeals recently ruled that the super-priority status given to six months’ worth of condominium liens under D.C. Code sec. 42-1903.13 can wipe out all other liens on the condo   unit, including a first-position mortgage, but that Court has not yet determined whether the six months ... Read More