June Carabell, et al. v. United States Army Corps of Engineers, et al.

Questions presented

SCOTUS records, cert granted 11 Oct 2005

1. Does the Clean Water Act extend to wetlands that are hydrologically isolated from any of the "waters of the United States?"
2. Do the limits on Congress' authority to regulate interstate commerce preclude an interpretation of the Clean Water Act that would extend federal authority to wetlands that are hydrologically isolated from any of the "waters of the United States?"

Opinion summary

Etalia.ai summary of the majority opinion

The case involved a dispute over the jurisdiction of the United States Army Corps of Engineers under the Clean Water Act. June Carabell and others sought to develop land that included wetlands adjacent to a drainage ditch connected to navigable waters. The Corps denied their permit application, asserting authority over these wetlands as "waters of the United States." The plaintiffs argued this exceeded federal jurisdiction since there was no direct surface water connection between their property and navigable waters. This case was consolidated with Rapanos v. United States, where similar issues were raised regarding federal regulatory power over isolated or non-navigable waters under environmental law.