Supreme Court Rejects Utah Lands Lawsuit

The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected Phil Lyman's appeal to disqualify Utah Governor Spencer Cox from the 2024 election, effectively ending Lyman's legal battle following his defeat in the Republican primary. Lyman argued that Cox's inclusion on the ballot was illegitimate due to insufficient signatures, but both the Utah Supreme Court and now the U.S. Supreme Court have dismissed his claims, stating he failed to provide a legal basis for his assertion. Lyman had previously won 67.5% support at the GOP convention but lost to Cox in the primary with 54% of the vote. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court also declined to hear Utah's lawsuit seeking to gain control of 18.5 million acres of public land from the federal government, which has been a contentious issue for decades. This decision was celebrated by public land advocates, who argued that transferring control could jeopardize the management of public lands across the West. The failure of both lawsuits highlights ongoing tensions in Utah regarding electoral processes and land management policies.