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David Henkin, attorney in Earthjustice’s Mid-Pacific Office, explains our lawsuit to protect the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument.

April’s proclamation threatens indigenous heritage, endangered species, and pristine marine ecosystems in Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument

This case challenges President Donald J. Trump’s unlawful Proclamation 10918 of April 17, 2025, which purports to strip core protections from the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument and to open the Monument to commercial fishing.

We’re suing the Trump administration for trying to illegally open one of the world’s most pristine tropical marine environments to commercial fishing

David Henkin, Attorney, Mid-Pacific Office, Earthjustice: “When he is saying that fisher folks from Hawaii or American Samoa need to travel for days to go fish. Well, you need to travel for days to get to these remote Pacific islands. They’re some of the most remote places on Earth … and they’re certainly not right…

For over a hundred years, the Antiquities Act of 1906 has protected America’s natural and historic wonders from mining, drilling, looting, and industrial development.

David Henkin, Attorney, Mid-Pacific Office: “In the Antiquities Act, Congress gave the President the authority to create national monuments, not to dismantle them.”

Heidi McIntosh, Managing Attorney, Rocky Mountain Office: “We’ve been privileged to follow the lead of 11 Tribal Nations with deep cultural ties to the monument, and we will continue fighting to protect it from uranium mining and other threats so that future generations can benefit from this irreplaceable landscape.”

Heidi McIntosh, Managing Attorney, Rocky Mountain Office: “We’re pleased that the court rightly rejected this far-fetched attack on Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni National Monument. We stand ready to defend all national monuments from any future attack by the current president.”

“We will fight attempts both inside and outside of Congress that threaten our ability to protect special places for the benefit of the American people.”

Heidi McIntosh, Managing Attorney, Rocky Mountain Office: “It was clear from the plaintiff’s arguments that they’re hoping to get the cases to the U.S. Supreme Court quickly and attack the monument designations themselves and perhaps the Antiquities Act itself.”

Utah sought to reactivate lawsuits then have them dismissed as moot

We are prepared to defend the environment and communities no matter who holds political office.

Heidi McIntosh, Managing Attorney, Rocky Mountain Office, Earthjustice: “Utah’s argument that the president may only designate small monuments centered on specific sites is just wrong. In 1920, the Supreme Court upheld President Teddy Roosevelt’s use of the Antiquities Act to protect 800,000 acres in Arizona when he declared the Grand Canyon a national monument. In…

Conservation groups filed a motion to intervene in defense of President Biden’s designation of Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument in Arizona.

Kristen Boyles, Managing Attorney, Northwest Office: “It’s been many years now of litigation, fighting to protect this remarkable place, and phew, we’re done. The monument and its expansion, it’s now the law of the land. People should go visit this summer. It’s a beautiful place.”

Decision ensures that southwest Oregon rivers, fish, and wildlife remain protected

Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments remain safe