Republicans OK $14M land-transfer lawsuit, say Utah must regain sovereignty
Source: Salt Lake Tribune
The federal government has no constitutional authority to permanently retain millions of acres in Western states, latecomers to the federal union that have thus been relegated to "second-class" status instead of sovereigns on equal footing with the older states to the east of the 100th meridian.
That's the conclusion of a 145-page legal analysis submitted Wednesday to the Utah Legislature by a team of outside lawyers hired to weigh Utah's legal prospects in its public lands fight with the federal government. The team urged Utah to go to court, estimating the cost at $14 million.
... Citing the consultants' conclusions, the Utah Commission for the Stewardship of Public Lands on Wednesday voted to direct them to prepare a complaint asserting a claim to 31 million acres of public land. It would be left up to Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes to decide whether such a case would be filed, mostly likely as a petition for original jurisdiction before the U.S. Supreme Court.
The commission's Republican members, however, made it clear they support litigating the question, even though the consultants cautioned that the suit carries a stiff price tag and its course and outcome would be fraught with uncertainty.
Read more: http://www.sltrib.com/news/3287281-155/republicans-ok-14m-land-transfer-lawsuit-say
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