{"argument_date":"2004-01-20T00:00:00Z","arguments":[{"argument_date":"2004-01-20T00:00:00Z","heading":"What happened at the argument","official_detail_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcript/2003","official_transcript_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1593.pdf","paragraphs":["Mr. McCrum stated sand and gravel were not locatable under the 1872 Mining Law.","Mr. Sansonetti noted applicants received free land for crops in similar cases.","chief_justice_rehnquist"],"reargument":false,"sequence":1,"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 26, lines 15-35","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1593.pdf","page_label":"file page 26, lines 15-35"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 17-57","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1593.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 17-57"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 5-15","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1593.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 5-15"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 50, lines 19-45","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1593.pdf","page_label":"file page 50, lines 19-45"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 53, lines 3-31","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1593.pdf","page_label":"file page 53, lines 3-31"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 54, lines 45-47","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1593.pdf","page_label":"file page 54, lines 45-47"}]}],"caption":"BedRoc Limited, LLC v. United States","case_history":[{"changed_at":"2026-08-29T20:06:30.597513Z","explanation":"An official oral-argument transcript was verified.","status":"argued"},{"changed_at":"2026-08-29T20:06:30.622245Z","explanation":"An official oral-argument transcript was verified.","status":"argued"}],"case_status":"argued","dek":"the sides that brought the case claim the government cannot tax their sand and gravel extraction. The government disputes this legal interpretation.","dek_sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 26, lines 15-35","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1593.pdf","page_label":"file page 26, lines 15-35"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 17-57","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1593.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 17-57"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 50, lines 19-45","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1593.pdf","page_label":"file page 50, lines 19-45"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 53, lines 3-31","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1593.pdf","page_label":"file page 53, lines 3-31"}],"dispositions":[],"latest_court_document_date":"2004-01-20T00:00:00Z","maturity":"official_transcript","official_detail_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcript/2003","official_disposition_urls":[],"official_docket_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/docket/docketfiles/html/public/02-1593.html","primary_docket":"02-1593","revisions":[{"correction_note":"Rewritten to the concise citizen-facing editorial standard.","created_at":"2026-08-31T15:59:19.114566Z","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":["This case tests the scope of the 1872 Mining Law. the sides that brought the case argue sand and gravel fall outside its definition. The government asserts the law covers these materials."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 26, lines 15-35","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1593.pdf","page_label":"file page 26, lines 15-35"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 17-57","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1593.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 17-57"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 50, lines 19-45","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1593.pdf","page_label":"file page 50, lines 19-45"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 53, lines 3-31","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1593.pdf","page_label":"file page 53, lines 3-31"}]},{"heading":"How the case got here","paragraphs":["The Supreme Court heard oral argument in this case on January 20, 2004."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 5-15","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1593.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 5-15"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 54, lines 45-47","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1593.pdf","page_label":"file page 54, lines 45-47"}]},{"heading":"What each side wants","paragraphs":["the sides that brought the case want the Court to declare sand and gravel exempt from the Mining Law.","The government wants the Court to confirm the Mining Law covers sand and gravel."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 26, lines 15-35","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1593.pdf","page_label":"file page 26, lines 15-35"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 17-57","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1593.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 17-57"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 50, lines 19-45","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1593.pdf","page_label":"file page 50, lines 19-45"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 53, lines 3-31","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1593.pdf","page_label":"file page 53, lines 3-31"}]},{"heading":"What each side says","paragraphs":["the sides that brought the case argue sand and gravel were not locatable under the 1872 Mining Law.","The government argues the Mining Law applies to these common materials."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 26, lines 15-35","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1593.pdf","page_label":"file page 26, lines 15-35"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 17-57","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1593.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 17-57"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 50, lines 19-45","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1593.pdf","page_label":"file page 50, lines 19-45"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 53, lines 3-31","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1593.pdf","page_label":"file page 53, lines 3-31"}]},{"heading":"What the justices asked","paragraphs":["Chief Justice Rehnquist asked about Nevada population statistics from 1940.","The Court inquired about the historical context of the land."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 54, lines 45-47","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1593.pdf","page_label":"file page 54, lines 45-47"}]},{"heading":"Why it matters","paragraphs":["This dispute determines whether private landowners can extract sand and gravel without government fees. It defines the boundary between mining rights and general property rights."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 26, lines 15-35","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1593.pdf","page_label":"file page 26, lines 15-35"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 17-57","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1593.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 17-57"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 50, lines 19-45","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1593.pdf","page_label":"file page 50, lines 19-45"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 53, lines 3-31","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1593.pdf","page_label":"file page 53, lines 3-31"}]},{"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 5-15","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1593.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 5-15"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 54, lines 45-47","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1593.pdf","page_label":"file page 54, lines 45-47"}]}],"slug":"2003-02-1593-bedroc-limited-llc-v-united-states","term":"2003","title":"Does the 1872 Mining Law cover sand and gravel?","title_sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 26, lines 15-35","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1593.pdf","page_label":"file page 26, lines 15-35"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 17-57","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1593.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 17-57"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 50, lines 19-45","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1593.pdf","page_label":"file page 50, lines 19-45"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 53, lines 3-31","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1593.pdf","page_label":"file page 53, lines 3-31"}],"topics":[],"undated_disposition_date_fallback":null,"updated_at":"2026-09-05T03:22:24Z"}