Court dismisses challenge to Biden's restoration of Utah monuments shrunk by Trump

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: AP

Updated 7:27 PM EDT, August 11, 2023

A judge Friday dismissed a lawsuit from the state of Utah challenging President Joe Biden’s restoration of two sprawling national monuments in the state that were downsized by President Donald Trump. U.S. District Judge David Nuffer said Biden acted within his authority when he issued proclamations restoring Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments in 2021. The monuments are on land sacred to many Native Americans.

Nuffer said Biden could issue such proclamations creating monuments “as he sees fit” and those actions were not reviewable by the court. The part of southeastern Utah where the two monuments are located has been at the center of some of the country’s most heated land management debates. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and the office of Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes said the state would begin work immediately on an appeal.

The Republican governor predicted that the issue would ultimately be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. Nuffer’s ruling comes just three days after Biden signed a national monument designation for land around Grand Canyon National Park, a decadeslong aspiration for some tribes. Republican lawmakers and the uranium mining industry that operates in the area had opposed the designation.

President Bill Clinton designated Grand Staircase a national monument in 1996 and President Barak Obama designated Bears Ears in 2016. Trump moved to shrink both in 2017, urged on by Utah Republicans who had long chafed over restrictions on how monuments can be used. Trump’s decision opened up parts of the monuments for mining, drilling and other development. Low demand and high production costs led to minimal interest from energy companies.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/biden-bears-ears-lawsuit-dismissed-0e3e0805ba3fe5756c32a944bd7d29bb

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Good. The idiocy of the GOP still want to push for something that even their coveted energy companies aren't interested in illustrates the idiocy of that party, as they instead do stuff for spite.

[Tennessee Hillbilly]

1. Why would trump be allowed to change the boundaries...

but not Biden?

[niyad]

2. hmmmmm, let us think for a second. . .

[BumRushDaShow]

4. In this case

the boundaries were originally designated by both Clinton and Obama and were partially scuttled by 45.

Found some interesting "way back" articles on the Grand Staircase issue back in 1996 - https://www.hcn.org/issues/90/2795 and 2 decades later, the Bear's Ears issue - https://www.hcn.org/articles/obama-designates-bears-ears-national-monument

I can't immediately find if either of the designations had actually been taken to court back then as was done this go-around (and dismissed per the OP). There were the threats to "defund" them and whatnot though.

[Lonestarblue]

3. The only thing Republicans worship are the almighty dollar and hatred for Democrats.

They have no concern whatsoever for the despoiling of the land. They see themselves as the legitimate wealthy white rulers of the country, just like in the late 1700s. They’ve never gotten over the fact that slavery was eliminated, and black people and women are now allowed to vote.

[BumRushDaShow]

5. And ironically it was "one of their own"

(or better, the way they USED to be) who even created this whole park/conservation system in the first place.

Funny how they cherry-pick which past Republicans from the late 19th & early 20th centuries that they "embrace" merely for talking points, and reject the rest.

[pazzyanne]

6. Thank you, Joe Biden! nt

[StoolPigeon]

7. Next on the list

Biden should give the Maralago Monument to the Seminole and remove the current squater.

[Botany]

8. Joe Biden is the best President of my lifetime and he saved this too

[dlk]

9. If a president has the authority to reduce the size of a monument,

Then the president also has the authority to expand a monument. The party of tort “ reform” dearly loves filing endless numbers of lawsuits to get their way.

[Brainfodder]

10. Not even spite, just to make dems look bad at any cost?

It is SICK.

They all need punished when it involves crime.

Non-stop continuous stream of assholes picking silly fights and we are not able to intervene, just witnessing this shit over and over via reporting is getting mentally challenging at times and I am even highly self aware, fuck.

Congress and the Supreme Court need some fucking reasonable standards, holy shit the most obvious thing in the world at this point, besides age minimum, citizen status, and what residency (see Tuberville haha)?

Mocking the system while in it is what Republican leadership is doing right now?
Protection racket for Cheeto Bandito, also super obvious?

When these dildos in human form are in the capitol doing their BS, do we have people on the ground protesting with purpose?

[republianmushroom]

11. Good

[Aristus]

12. Please, whatever you do, don't protect the nature beauty of our nation!

I really don't get that mentality...

[Bayard]

13. Why do they do it?

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Oh--and to own the libs.