A federal judge has denied the government’s effort to move lawsuits regarding Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments to Utah.
Judge Tanya S. Chutkan ruled Monday the suits shall be heard in federal court in Washington.
Several environmental groups and Native American tribes have filed suit against the Trump Administration who wants to significantly shrink and change the boundaries of the monuments.
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The Justice Department had sought to move the case to Utah federal court, arguing the cases should be decided in the state where the monuments are located.
Judge Chutkan decided the cases would stay put.