Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme court in Marvin Brandt Revocable Trust et al. v. United States (slip opinion attached here), ruled that a Wyoming landowner was the owner of a former railroad right of way which had been formally abandoned.
This case, and the somewhat colorful opinion authored by Chief Justice Roberts, could potentially complicate Rails-to-Trails systems, and the burgeoning cottage industry of land owners seeking compensation from rail trail owners/operators for taking of their land.