Devillier v. Texas | |
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Full case name | Richard Devillier, et al. v. Texas |
Docket no. | 22-913 |
Questions presented | |
May a person whose property is taken without compensation seek redress under the self-executing Takings Clause even if the legislature has not affirmatively provided them with a cause of action? |
Devillier v. Texas, (Docket No. 22-913), is a case that is currently pending before the Supreme Court of the United States.[1] The case has the potential to clarify the Supreme Court's takings clause jurisprudence. The Court is scheduled to hear oral argument on January 16, 2024.[1]
Background
In the early 2020s, the Texas Department of Transportation installed certain median barriers in the middle of Interstate 10 in Texas.[2] The barriers fit together tightly such that water could not flow through them. As a result, water accumulated on one side of the highway during Hurricane Harvey and Tropical Storm Imelda, flooding the land on that side.[3][4]
Property owners sued Texas, alleging that the flooding of their land without compensation constituted a taking under the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution and therefore requires compensation.[5]
Texas argues that the Fifth Amendment is not self-executing and because there is no statutory basis for an action against the state, Devillier and other similarly situated landowners cannot be compensated.[6]
References
- 1 2 "Docket for 22-913". www.supremecourt.gov. Retrieved 2023-09-30.
- ↑ Begley, Dug (June 8, 2021). "I-10 medians at the center of dispute between flooded landowners and TxDOT set for replacement". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
- ↑ Powell, Nick (2021-04-08). "Judge allows Winnie families' lawsuit over Texas highway median to proceed". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2023-09-30.
- ↑ "Petition for a Writ of Certiorari" (PDF).
- ↑ "Devillier Appendix" (PDF).
- ↑ "Brief in Opposition to a Petition for a Writ of Certiorari" (PDF).