A Utah court has dismissed a lawsuit alleging that Republican Gov. Spencer Cox and other officials violated the state’s constitution in their failed bid to seize control of 18.5 million acres overseen by the Bureau of Land Management.
State Judge Thaddeus May granted a request Wednesday from Utah Attorney General Derek Brown (R) to dismiss the lawsuit filed last year by the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.
The conservation group argued that Utah officials exceeded their authority when they filed a request with the Supreme Court in 2024 to seize control of roughly half the federal lands that fall within the state’s boundaries. The state also launched a public relations campaign promoting its “Stand for our Land” litigation.
The Supreme Court declined to hear the state’s lawsuit in January, which May ruled rendered the state lawsuit moot.
