of wetlands also were plowed, although to lesser depths."..."But Tsakopoulos argued that normal farming practices, including deep plowing, were excluded specifically from the Clean Water Act." "The government said that was true only if the plowing did not change the character of the farmland." Justice Anthony Kennedy had to recuse himself from the case because of his acquaintance with Tsakopoulos and only eight justices were left deciding the case. The ruling turned out to be a 4–4 tie. Because of the tie, the ruling against Tsakopoulos by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals was automatically affirmed. See also John Sitilides, (The Western Policy Center) References External links Article On The Supreme Court Case Businessman Of The Year Award The Tsakopoulos Hellenic Collection Living people 1936 births American people of Greek descent 20th-century American businesspeople California State University, Sacramento alumni Sacramento Mountain Lions United Football League (2009–2012) owners