Bears Ears lawsuit to proceed, federal judge rules

A federal judge on Monday ruled that legal action can proceed against the Trump administration's move to reduce the size of Utah's Bears Ears National Monument. U.S. District Court Judge Tanya S. Chutkan rejected the Trump administration's bid to dismiss the lawsuits against the 2017 action, The Salt Lake Tribune reported. Chutkan, an Obama appointee, ordered lawyers from all sides in the case to attend a hearing on an “an expedited, coordinated schedule" for the filing of additional legal briefs. Environmental groups and five Native American tribes are challenging the administration's decision to reduce the size of Bears Ears by about 85 percent. The ruling means that the legal action brought by those groups will proceed...MORE