What Supreme Court case eliminated the migratory bird rule in the determination of a wetland's protection under the US government?

The case that eliminated the migratory bird rule from the determination of a wetland's protection under the US government is Sackett v. USEPA in 2023. This ruling clarified the scope of the Clean Water Act by rejecting the notion that wetlands could be federally regulated simply because they might provide habitat for migratory birds.

The Supreme Court's decision focused on the necessity of a more direct connection between the wetlands and navigable waters for federal jurisdiction to apply. This ruling significantly impacts how wetlands are classified and protected, making it essential to establish a tangible relationship to navigable waters rather than relying on broader ecological connections like migratory patterns.

Understanding this shift helps clarify that under the new legal landscape, protections previously afforded to wetlands purely because they might serve migratory birds have been curtailed, emphasizing a more narrow interpretation of federal authority in environmental regulation.