DOJ: President Can Abolish National Monuments

The U.S. Department of Justice has issued a landmark opinion stating that President Donald Trump has the authority to abolish or reduce national monuments designated by previous presidents, overturning an 87-year-old precedent that such revocations required Congressional approval. The opinion, authored by Lanora Pettit of the Office of Legal Counsel, specifically targets the Chuckwalla and Sáttítla Highlands National Monuments in California, which were established by President Joe Biden to protect ecologically and culturally significant lands, including Native American sites. The new interpretation of the Antiquities Act argues that the president's power to declare monuments includes the power to revoke or alter them. Critics, including conservationists and lawmakers, warn that the move could make monument protections temporary and subject to political whims. The Trump administration has indicated the change aims to open up federal lands for expanded energy development, such as oil, gas, and mineral extraction. Significant court challenges are expected as the opinion reignites debate over conservation, indigenous rights, and presidential authority over public lands.