U.S. justices deliver blow to 'rails-to-trails' policy

[riky]

U.S. justices deliver blow to 'rails-to-trails' policy

<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/u-justices-deliver-blow-rails-trails-policy-174548331--finance.html"><img src="http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/aaMhTRdGZR49jU9WHKHlNA--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9NzU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/cdd87e883e61281c3b0f6a7067003600.jpg" width="130" height="86" alt="FILE - This Feb. 3, 2009 file photo shows a cross-country skier in Medicine Bow National Forest's Tie City in Albany County, Wyo. There are also plenty of free ways to experience the backcountry wilderness in every season, from warm-weather hikes in the vast Medicine Bow National Forest to snowshoeing and cross-country skiing followed by a soak in a hot spring as snow falls. (AP Photo/Laramie Boomerang, Andy Carpenean, File)" align="left" title="FILE - This Feb. 3, 2009 file photo shows a cross-country skier in Medicine Bow National Forest's Tie City in Albany County, Wyo. There are also plenty of free ways to experience the backcountry wilderness in every season, from warm-weather hikes in the vast Medicine Bow National Forest to snowshoeing and cross-country skiing followed by a soak in a hot spring as snow falls. (AP Photo/Laramie Boomerang, Andy Carpenean, File)" border="0" /></a>By Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In a setback to the U.S. government's long-running policy of converting abandoned railroads into public trails, the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday ruled for a Wyoming property owner who objected to a plan to extend a pathway across his land. In a decision that could affect similar cases across the United States, the court ruled on an 8-1 vote that the right-of-way across Marvin Brandt's land that was established by a railroad was extinguished when the railroad was later abandoned. Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in her dissenting opinion that the decision &quot;undermines the legality of thousands of miles of former rights of way that the public now enjoys as means of transportation and recreation.&quot; She said the court's decision could lead to more expensive litigation over other trails, including compensation claims filed by landowners.</p><br clear="all"/>

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