In a significant victory for our clients, the American Wild Horse Campaign and two individuals who visit and photograph wild horses in Nevada, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit today affirmed the dismissal of an effort by the livestock industry, led by the Nevada Association of Counties and the Nevada Farm Bureau Federation, to compel the Bureau of Land Management to remove wild horses from the range throughout the state of Nevada. The Ninth Circuit found that, as we successfully argued to the district court, the lawsuit impermissibly sought to have the court take over “virtually the entire federal wild horse and burro management program in Nevada” at the behest of a single industry. Members of the livestock industry have brought similar challenges in other states, and today’s victory will help to prevent an industry takeover of wild horse management and ensure that these federally protected animals remain wild, free-roaming and protected on public lands. A copy of the decision can be found here.
