In a lawsuit filed in mid-December, the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA) said Utah’s lawsuit seeking control of federal public land violates the state constitution.
“Not only is Utah’s lawsuit illegal, it asks the US Supreme Court to order the United States to begin the sell-off or ‘disposal’ of millions of acres of public lands, including into private ownership,” said SUWA Legal Director Steve Bloch.
In August, Utah filed a lawsuit at the Supreme Court seeking an order requiring the federal government to sell off more than 18.5 million acres of public lands in the state. The suit claimed the state cannot manage its own land because it’s “controlled by people who don’t live in Utah, who aren’t elected by Utah citizens and not responsive to our local needs,” according to Attorney General Sean Reyes.
