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United Water Conservation District v. United States

Paid petition · United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, No. 2023-1602 · judgment April 2, 2025


Certiorari denied · March 2, 2026
Pre-decision estimate: 1% cert probability

Before the decision, well below the 4.1% base rate, with no standout signals pointing toward a grant.

Question presented

Whether the government’s appropriation of water that a person had a property right to use is analyzed as a physical taking, rather than a regulatory taking, under the Fifth Amendment.

Counsel of record

For petitioner
Thomas Henderson Dupree Jr.
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, LLP

For respondent
D. John Sauer
Solicitor General

Case

Conference history
Distributed for 1 conference

Amicus briefs
7 cert-stage

Proceedings

  1. Mar 02 2026
    Petition DENIED.
  2. Feb 11 2026
    DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 2/27/2026.
  3. Feb 11 2026
    Reply of petitioner United Water Conservation District filed. (Distributed)
  4. Jan 28 2026
    Brief of respondent United States in opposition filed.
  5. Dec 22 2025
    Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the time is further extended to and including January 28, 2026.
  6. Dec 19 2025
    Motion to extend the time to file a response from December 29, 2025 to January 28, 2026, submitted to The Clerk.
  7. Nov 28 2025
    Brief amicus curiae of Cato Institute filed.
  8. Nov 28 2025
    Brief amicus curiae of Atlantic Legal Foundation filed.
  9. Nov 26 2025
    Brief amici curiae of Association of California Water Agencies, et al. filed.
  10. Nov 26 2025
    Brief amicus curiae of Liberty Justice Center filed.
  11. Nov 26 2025
    Brief amici curiae of Western Growers Association, et al. filed.
  12. Nov 26 2025
    Brief amicus curiae of Washington Legal Foundation filed.
  13. Nov 26 2025
    Brief amicus curiae of Texas Farm Bureau filed.
  14. Nov 21 2025
    Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the time is extended to and including December 29, 2025.
  15. Nov 20 2025
    Motion to extend the time to file a response from November 28, 2025 to December 29, 2025, submitted to The Clerk.
  16. Oct 27 2025
    Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due November 28, 2025)