Articles

Is the ocean "land owned or controlled by the Federal government"?

March 07, 2017 | By JONATHAN WOOD

As President Obama’s final term came to a close, he engaged in what has unfortunately become a favorite pastime for lame duck Presidents: trying to build a legacy by abusing the Antiquities Act. President Obama was the Barry Bonds of this abuse, shattering his predecessors’ records. All told, he declared more than 550 million acres  ...

Articles

Are all of Obama’s national monuments permanent? A new AEI paper says no

March 27, 2017 | By TODD GAZIANO

A few weeks before he left office, President Obama abused the Antiquities Act of 1906 again to proclaim 1.35 million acres in Utah and 300,000 acres in Nevada to be new national monuments. White House officials claimed that both monuments were “permanent” because there was no express authority to reverse them. … ...

Articles

Video : Presidential Authority to Revoke or Reduce National Monument Designations

March 31, 2017 | By KYLE GRIESINGER

This week, PLF’s Todd Gaziano and Professor John Yoo (who is also a new member of PLF’s Board of Trustees) released a new study that explains why President Trump has the authority to reduce or revoke national monuments. … ...

Articles

Law professors argue the President can't revoke national monuments (and implicitly that Congress can't either)

May 16, 2017 | By JONATHAN WOOD

We’ve written a lot lately about past Presidents’ abuse of the Antiquities Act and President Trump’s opportunity to reconsider some of those abuses. A few weeks ago, the President issued an executive order calling for a review of 21 years of monument designations, suggesting that he may use his power to revoke past designations. N ...