President Trump Revokes Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments Weeks after Tenth Circuit Decision

On July 13, 2026, President Trump issued proclamations revoking the Bears Ears National Monument and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

This comes just weeks after the Tenth Circuit reversed the District of Utah’s dismissal of the lawsuits seeking to dismantle the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments. The Tenth Circuit’s decision remanded the matter back to the District Court for further proceedings. Here is the briefing from the Tenth Circuit.

Tenth Circuit Decision:

Tenth Circuit Decision

Plaintiff’s Opening Briefs:

Opening Brief of Individual Plaintiffs

Opening Brief of Plaintiffs-Appellants Garfield County, Utah, et al.

Response Briefs:

Federal Defendants’ Consolidated Answering Brief

Response Brief of Suwa Intervenors-Appellees

Hopi Tribe, Navajo Nation, Pueblo of Zuni, And Ute Mountain Ute Tribe Response Brief

Plaintiffs’ Reply Briefs:

Reply Brief of Individual Plaintiffs

Reply Brief of Plaintiffs-Appellants Garfield County, Utah, et al.

Previous post with briefs here and here.

New Mexico Federal Court Dismisses Business Loan Enforcement Action against Indian Company to Allow for Exhaustion of Tribal Remedies

Here are the materials in Rural Community Assistance Corporation v. Major Market Inc. (D.N.M.):

Tribal Nations Granted Intervention in Bears Ears Litigation

On November 18, 2022, the Hopi Tribe, Navajo Nation, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, and the Pueblo of Zuni moved to intervene in two lawsuits in the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah regarding the Bears Ears National Monument. The Court granted the motions to intervene.

Order granting intervention here:

Motions can be seen here and here.

Bears Ears at Sunset. Photo credit: Tim Peterson.

Aeon: “Native cartography: a bold mapmaking project that challenges Western notions of place”

Here.

Tribal Comments on Bears Ears Monument

Here:

2017 07 10 Updated FR Monument Review – FINAL

Tenth Circuit Vacates Sentence in Major Crimes Act Conviction

Here is the opinion.