Hauxwell v. Middle Republican NRD

Summary

The Nebraska Supreme Court affirmed the district court’s dismissal of the Hauxwells’ petition for review, holding that the letter denying their groundwater pooling application was not an “order” within the meaning of the Nebraska Ground Water Management and Protection Act (NGWMPA) and therefore the appeal was outside the court’s jurisdiction. The Court based its decision on a construction of the statutory term “order” as a legal term of art and the requirement that an appeal under the NGWMPA arise from a contested case.