Richard Fields of the Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF) is the guest speaker for the Thursday, May 24, meeting of the Manteca Tea Party Patriots.

The public is invited to the free program that starts at 7:30 p.m. at Chez Shari on the second floor of the Manteca Golf Course clubhouse, 305 N. Union Road.

Fields will talk on the recent landmark case where PLF and Mike and Chantell Sackett took the Environmental Protection Agency to the Supreme Court and won.

In a unanimous opinion, the Supreme Court ruled that landowners have a right to direct, meaningful judicial review if the EPA effectively seizes control of their property by declaring it to be “wetlands.” The Court ruled in favor of the Sacketts of Priest Lake, Idaho, who were told by EPA - and by the Ninth Circuit - that they could not get direct court review of EPA’s claim that their two-thirds of an acre parcel is “wetlands” and that they must obey a detailed and intrusive EPA “compliance” order, or be hit with fines of up to $75,000 per day.

The case is considered by some the first step toward reigning in the “out of control regulators” like the California Air Resources board and California Regional Water Quality Control board.

The Manteca Tea Party presents Richard Fields in our speaker series.

Fields is responsible for donor support for Pacific Legal Foundation’s goal of restoring and enhancing private property rights and other individual rights as enumerated in the Bill of Rights.

Before joining PLF in 2006, he was in the media business, including owning and operating radio stations, radio announcing and selling advertising. His avocations include hosting “The Libertarian Counterpoint,” a 30-minute cable TV program in Sacramento discussing the issues of the day that also can be accessed on the web at www.accesssacramento.org

He also climbs mountains.