Judge Reopens Lawsuits Over Utah Monument Cuts

A federal judge has reopened lawsuits challenging President Donald Trump’s latest reductions to Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in Utah, reviving legal cases first filed after his 2017 cuts and paused when Joe Biden restored the boundaries in 2021. The order also requires the administration to give 48 hours’ notice before ground-disturbing work on lands removed from the monuments. Tribal and environmental groups argue the reductions are illegal and put sacred sites, cultural resources, and natural features at risk, particularly as mining claims have been filed on affected lands. Trump and supporters say the monuments were overly expansive and that the cuts allow practical land use and access to minerals. Trump’s latest action shrank both monuments beyond their 2017 boundaries, removing nearly 3 million acres combined.