Top Court Weighs Curbing Clean Water Act in Jackson’s First Case

The US Supreme Court signaled interest in limiting the reach of the Clean Water Act as the justices opened the Ketanji Brown Jackson era with a case that could mean fewer federal restrictions governing development and pollution.

Jackson was an active questioner as the justices grappled with a clash that pits property-rights advocates and business groups against environmentalists and the Biden administration.

The court is considering the extent to which the Clean Water Act and its permitting requirements apply to wetlands that sit nearby a lake, river or other major waterway. The 1972 law gives the federal government authority over ...