Trump mulls eliminating millions of acres of parks across U.S.
The Mule Mountains in Southern California.
Bob Wick
A Department of Justice opinion quietly tries to rewrite history and dismantle the country’s most important conservation laws
WASHINGTON D.C. (June 10, 2025) — The Department of Justice (DOJ) quietly issued an opinion through its Office of Legal Counsel titled “Revocation of Prior Monument Designations.” The opinion was posted on the DOJ’s website earlier today.
The conveniently timed opinion lays the groundwork for unravelling national monuments and dismantling the Antiquities Act, a bedrock conservation law that grants presidents authority and discretion to protect lands with historical, cultural and scientific significance. It does not permit them to destroy or dismantle protections for national monuments.
Axie Navas, designations director of conservation programs & policy at The Wilderness Society, made the following statement about the release:
“This is the legal equivalent of throwing a dart at the wall, then painting a bullseye around it. This opinion flies in the face of a century of interpretation of the Antiquities Act. Americans overwhelmingly support our public lands and oppose seeing them dismantled or destroyed.”
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