Judge Throws Out Monument Lawsuit

(Escalante, UT) — Two national monuments in southern Utah aren’t going to shrink in size anytime soon. A federal judge made the decision to throw out a lawsuit Friday that was filed last year by several state leaders, including Governor Spencer Cox and Attorney General Sean Reyes. The move was made after President Biden restored Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears national monuments to their original size, which is a combined three-point-two-million acres. Plaintiffs believed the large size was too much to manage and wanted the monuments to shrink down. But, the judge said Friday Biden’s judgment in those proclamations is not reviewable in district court.