Latest Winter v. Natural Resources Defense Council Stories

     HONOLULU, Dec. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- The United States Supreme Court ruled "the Navy and its leaders -- not federal judges -- should determine how best to defend our nation," Robert H. Thomas and Mark M. Murakami of the Hawaii law firm of Damon Key Leong Kupchak Hastert wrote in a recent commentary.  Thomas and Murakami had filed an amicus brief in Winter v. Natural Resources Defense Council on behalf of nine retired Navy admirals, the Navy League of...

In a crushing defeat for environmentalists, the Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday the US Navy can conduct sonar training exercises off the southern California coast without restrictions designed to protect whales, dolphins and other marine mammals.The high court threw out a federal judge's injunction that had required the Navy to take precautions during submarine-hunting exercises. Environmental groups argued that the intense sound waves could harm or even kill 37 species of marine mammals,...

From staff and wire reports WASHINGTON Whales may simply have to pay the price as the Navy trains for war, Supreme Court justices suggested Wednesday. In a closely watched environmental case, justices on Wednesday repeatedly sounded sympathetic to Pentagon officials who want to run large-scale Navy exercises off the Southern California coast. While the resulting underwater sonar storm disturbs marine mammals, it helps prepare sailors for combat. "I thought the whole point of the armed...

By Adam Liptak New York Times News Service WASHINGTON -- On the one hand, there is "the potential for harm to marine mammals," Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. said Wednesday at a Supreme Court argument over the Navy's use of sonar in training exercises off the coast of Southern California. On the other, the chief justice continued, there is "the potential that a North Korean diesel electric submarine will get within range of Pearl Harbor undetected" if Navy personnel are not properly...

The Supreme Court was split on Wednesday over whether President George W. Bush can excuse the Navy from federal environmental laws. This case pits the safety of whales against the Navy's military exercises.This is the most important environmental case of the current term.  The court is evaluating a verdict that required the Navy to take a range of safety measures in order to reduce potential harm to whales and dolphins.The four liberal justices voiced apprehension over the administration's...

We were cheered to learn that the U.S. Navy and conservation groups have reached a court-approved settlement that allows the military ample opportunity to test its low-frequency sonar systems while protecting the habitats of marine life . So it is especially disturbing that the Bush administration is still trying to block the courts' ability to mediate future agreements between the military and environmentalists. The vigilantly anti-regulatory Bush administration claimed that training...

The U.S. Navy has adopted a new plan Thursday to train in waters near Hawaii. The plan would allow for more frequent exercises while limiting the potentially harmful effects of its sonar on marine mammals.The plan was created following completion of environmental studies that found the exercises were in compliance with federal law. Similar studies are being conducted for training in waters off the coast of the Pacific Northwest, California and elsewhere.According to environmentalists, active...

By Joan Biskupic WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court agreed Monday to hear a dispute over the Navy's sonar training exercises off the Southern California coast. Environmentalists say the exercises threaten dolphins, whales and other marine mammals. The case presents an important test of competing environmental and military interests. It began when the Navy did not prepare the required environmental-impact report for anti-submarine exercises scheduled for 2007-09 to train strike groups for...

WASHINGTON _ The Supreme Court will settle a fight that pits Southern California dolphins against the U.S. military. In a closely watched case involving national security and the natural environment, the court agreed to review restrictions on the Navy's use of sonar off the California coast. The Bush administration contends that the sonar rules, meant to protect marine mammals, hinder military preparedness. "The chief of naval operations determined ... that those restrictions unacceptably...

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear an appeal on a Bush Administration ruling that restricted the Navy's use of sonar off the southern California coast. Environmental groups said the training exercises could harm endangered whales and other marine mammals.A ruling by a U.S. appeals court that upheld a federal judge's order requiring the Navy to take various precautions during the sonar training to minimize harm to dozens of species of whales and dolphins will be reviewed by the justices.The...