NRA-ILA Appeals Court Order Denying its Intervention in Public Lands Lawsuit

In 2020, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service expanded hunting and fishing opportunities on 2.3 million acres of federal lands across the country. That decision was met with a lawsuit seeking to keep those lands closed to hunting and fishing.

NRA-ILA, in partnership with Safari Club International, Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation, and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, filed motions to intervene in and dismiss that lawsuit, so that hunters’ voices could be heard in the proceedings. The hunting community’s participation in the case is critical because the Fish and Wildlife Service is currently engaged in settlement negotiations with the plaintiffs, and the hunting community likely will not benefit from any settlement agreement in this case.   

The district court, however, denied the motion to intervene. Despite submitting 11 sworn affidavits from members who planned to take advantage of the new hunting opportunities—opportunities that would no longer be available if the plaintiffs succeed in the lawsuit—the court found that the hunting community lacked an “interest” in the suit. That egregious ruling was appealed to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, where the fight for American families’ access to public lands will continue.

NRA-ILA remains dedicated to protecting hunters’ rights in courtrooms and capitols across the country. The case is captioned Center for Biological Diversity v. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.   

Please stay tuned to www.nraila.org for future updates on NRA-ILA’s ongoing efforts to defend your constitutional rights.