Two Michigan cases before the U.S. Supreme Court today could redefine the federal government's authority to regulate wetlands. Environmentalists and legal scholars say it is the most important challenge to the federal Clean Water Act in its 33-year history. "The case is not about whether or not we should protect wetlands. The case is whether the federal government, instead of the states, has the constitutional right to protect wetlands," said Wayne State University Law Professor Noah Hall.