{"argument_date":"2002-12-10T00:00:00Z","arguments":[{"argument_date":"2002-12-10T00:00:00Z","heading":"What happened at the argument","official_detail_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcript/2002","official_transcript_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1243.pdf","paragraphs":["Bishop argued the Corps must clear hurdles first.","Bishop stated Congress specified pollutant additions require permits.","Bishop claimed the government raised a new soil argument late.","Minear stated the Act restricted only specific wetland acres. Minear argued plowing exemptions show Congress understood pollutant risks."],"reargument":false,"sequence":1,"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 25, lines 13-41","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1243.pdf","page_label":"file page 25, lines 13-41"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 15-1","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1243.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 15-1"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 5-13","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1243.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 5-13"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 49, lines 23-27","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1243.pdf","page_label":"file page 49, lines 23-27"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 52, lines 29-41","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1243.pdf","page_label":"file page 52, lines 29-41"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 55, lines 41-41","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1243.pdf","page_label":"file page 55, lines 41-41"}]}],"caption":"Borden Ranch Partnership v. Army Corps of Engineers","case_history":[{"changed_at":"2026-08-29T20:06:31.660372Z","explanation":"An official oral-argument transcript was verified.","status":"argued"},{"changed_at":"2026-08-29T20:06:31.686802Z","explanation":"An official oral-argument transcript was verified.","status":"argued"}],"case_status":"argued","dek":"Borden Ranch seeks to avoid a permit for plowing. The Corps argues the act requires one.","dek_sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 25, lines 13-41","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1243.pdf","page_label":"file page 25, lines 13-41"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 15-1","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1243.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 15-1"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 49, lines 23-27","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1243.pdf","page_label":"file page 49, lines 23-27"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 52, lines 29-41","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1243.pdf","page_label":"file page 52, lines 29-41"}],"dispositions":[],"latest_court_document_date":"2002-12-10T00:00:00Z","maturity":"official_transcript","official_detail_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcript/2002","official_disposition_urls":[],"official_docket_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/docket/docketfiles/html/public/01-1243.html","primary_docket":"01-1243","revisions":[{"correction_note":"Rewritten to the concise citizen-facing editorial standard.","created_at":"2026-08-31T16:36:38.088411Z","maturity":"official_transcript","revision_number":1},{"correction_note":"Migrated to the dated official Court activity contract without model use.","created_at":"2026-09-05T03:22:24Z","maturity":"official_transcript","revision_number":2}],"schema_version":"1.1","sections":[{"heading":"What this case is about","paragraphs":["Borden Ranch wants to subdivide land. The Corps regulates wetlands under the Clean Water Act. The dispute centers on plowing soil."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 25, lines 13-41","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1243.pdf","page_label":"file page 25, lines 13-41"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 15-1","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1243.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 15-1"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 49, lines 23-27","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1243.pdf","page_label":"file page 49, lines 23-27"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 52, lines 29-41","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1243.pdf","page_label":"file page 52, lines 29-41"}]},{"heading":"How the case got here","paragraphs":["The Supreme Court heard oral argument in this case on December 10, 2002."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 5-13","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1243.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 5-13"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 55, lines 41-41","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1243.pdf","page_label":"file page 55, lines 41-41"}]},{"heading":"What each side wants","paragraphs":["Borden Ranch wants to avoid a permit for plowing.","The Corps wants to enforce the permit requirement."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 25, lines 13-41","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1243.pdf","page_label":"file page 25, lines 13-41"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 15-1","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1243.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 15-1"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 49, lines 23-27","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1243.pdf","page_label":"file page 49, lines 23-27"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 52, lines 29-41","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1243.pdf","page_label":"file page 52, lines 29-41"}]},{"heading":"What each side says","paragraphs":["Bishop argues plowing is exempt from the permit.","Minear argues plowing adds pollutants to wetlands."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 25, lines 13-41","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1243.pdf","page_label":"file page 25, lines 13-41"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 15-1","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1243.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 15-1"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 49, lines 23-27","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1243.pdf","page_label":"file page 49, lines 23-27"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 52, lines 29-41","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1243.pdf","page_label":"file page 52, lines 29-41"}]},{"heading":"What the justices asked","paragraphs":["Stevens asked if soil came from outside the wetland."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 55, lines 41-41","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1243.pdf","page_label":"file page 55, lines 41-41"}]},{"heading":"Why it matters","paragraphs":["This case defines the scope of federal wetland regulation. It determines when farming activities trigger permit requirements. The outcome shapes land development and environmental protection."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 25, lines 13-41","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1243.pdf","page_label":"file page 25, lines 13-41"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 15-1","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1243.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 15-1"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 49, lines 23-27","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1243.pdf","page_label":"file page 49, lines 23-27"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 52, lines 29-41","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1243.pdf","page_label":"file page 52, lines 29-41"}]},{"heading":"What happens next","paragraphs":["This article currently covers the argument record. Use the official docket link for later case activity."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 5-13","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1243.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 5-13"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 55, lines 41-41","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1243.pdf","page_label":"file page 55, lines 41-41"}]}],"slug":"2002-01-1243-borden-ranch-partnership-v-army-corps-of-engineers","term":"2002","title":"Does plowing wetlands require a federal permit?","title_sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 25, lines 13-41","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1243.pdf","page_label":"file page 25, lines 13-41"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 15-1","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1243.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 15-1"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 49, lines 23-27","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1243.pdf","page_label":"file page 49, lines 23-27"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 52, lines 29-41","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-1243.pdf","page_label":"file page 52, lines 29-41"}],"topics":[],"undated_disposition_date_fallback":null,"updated_at":"2026-09-05T03:22:24Z"}