A lawsuit headed to the Utah Supreme Court began, like many southern Utah disputes, as a fight over public lands. But it’s become a case about open government.
When President Donald Trump was considering whether to dissolve or shrink Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears national monuments, he sent then-Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to Utah to speak with local leaders. The May 2017 trip caused controversy, not only because Trump ultimately rolled back protections for 2 million acres, but also because Zinke held private meetings with public officials from three southern Utah counties.