This Land Is My Land: Utah's Supreme Court Challenge to Federal Land Ownership

In August of 2024, the state of Utah filed suit against the United States contesting the ownership of certain lands in Utah. When asking the United States Supreme Court to exercise its original jurisdiction, Utah argues that the federal government lacks constitutional authority to retain perpetual ownership of 18.5 million acres of land in Utah that the Bureau of Land Management currently manages. It further asks the court to order the federal government to dispose of those lands. The federal government counters that the constitution permits the continued federal ownership of these lands, and confers upon it the right to determine when, how, and if it should dispose of these lands. This FedSoc Forum discussed this case and its possible outcomes, including the prospect of the disposal of millions of acres of federally owned land.

Featuring:

Ethan Blevins, Legal Fellow, Pacific Legal Foundation
David Willms, Associate Vice President, Public Lands at National Wildlife Federation
Moderator: Jonathan Wood, Vice President of Law & Policy, Property and Environment Research Center


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As always, the Federalist Society takes no position on particular legal or public policy issues; all expressions of opinion are those of the speaker.