APA works to advance planning through the judicial process by filing amicus curiae (friend of the court) briefs in selected cases of national importance.
Amicus Curiae Committee
The APA Amicus Curiae Committee is one of the more visible parts of APA. Through its efforts, APA files "friend-of-the-court" briefs in state and federal courts in cases of importance to the planning profession and the public interest.
Recent APA Amicus Briefs
Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs v. The Inclusive Communities Project, Inc. (2015)
APA and other friends of the court argue that the benefits of continued recognition of a disparate impact standard under the Fair Housing Act substantially outweigh the minimal costs that the standard imposes.
Scenic America, Inc. v. U.S. Department of Transportation (2015)
The brief from APA and other friends of the court focuses on the legal status of digital billboards using lighting to display alternating commercial messages adjacent to federal roadways in four-to-ten-second intervals. Are such billboards in keeping with the Highway Beautification Act and observance of the "consistent with customary use" limitation on lighting?
Reed v. Town of Gilbert (2014)
APA and other friends of the court are concerned that local governments will face a nearly impossible task in crafting constitutional sign regulations if they are unable to use a common sense classification of temporary signs based upon their functions.
Planning & Environmental Law
Keep up with the latest judicial decisions and legislation that affect planning without slogging through pages of legal jargon and irrelevant cases. Planning & Environmental Law delivers incisive commentaries and on-target abstracts of the judicial decisions and legislation planners and planning lawyers need to know.
Planning and Law Division
The Planning and Law Division of the American Planning Association serves those with a professional or personal interest in the diverse legal issues that affect the planning profession. PLD's membership includes attorneys, planners, students, and others
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