The Same Monuments, Three Opposite Cuts: Why Courts Haven't Settled Presidential Power

Trump cut 1.15 million acres from Bears Ears and 860,000 from Grand Staircase-Escalante on July 13, reversing Biden's restorations—the third consecutive administration to reshape these monuments in opposite directions. No court has ruled whether presidents can shrink monuments at all under the Antiquities Act. The pattern reveals that which party holds power matters more than what the law actually says.