FINAL HEARING SET
In Defense of Animals et al v United States Department of the Interior et al
PLEASE NOTE: UPDATED DATE AND TIME
Friday, February 24, 2012 at 10:00 a.m.
U.S. Federal Courthouse, Eastern District of California
501 I Street
Courtroom #7 (14th Floor Judge Morrison England Jr.)
Sacramento, California
www.caed.uscourts.gov
Rachel Fazio, acting attorney, reports the following:
The courtroom capacity is approximately 100 people and I would love to have each and every seat filled by a wild horse supporter!!!! Because the hearing is in Sacramento there will likely be a number of BLM folks there, much more than the Ninth Circuit hearing – so I would at least like to match their numbers.
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT
This hearing is the final adjudication on all of our legal claims presented under the Wild Horse Act and the National Environmental Policy Act, including whether simply being over AML is enough to show that wild horses are excess, whether long-term holding is legal under the Act, and whether they needed to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement, just to name a few.
If we win, we will be pushing to have the wild horses which were illegally captured returned to the range. If we loose, we will immediately proceed to the Ninth Circuit, where the same panel of Judges who initially reviewed our appeal of preliminary injunction is waiting to give us a final ruling on the matter, where again, we will push to have the wild horses returned.
You can check for any updates regarding the hearing on the website, under Court Calendar (menu on left side of page) and then select Judge England, Jr., and pick the date 2/23/12. Typically updates are posted starting the week before the hearing.
THE LITIGANTS
IN DEFENSE OF ANIMALS; DREAMCATCHER WILD HORSE AND BURRO SANCTUARY; BARBARA CLARKE; CHAD HANSON; LINDA HAY, Plaintiffs, v. UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR; BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT; KEN SALAZAR, Secretary of the United States Department of the Interior; ROBERT ABBEY, Director of the Bureau of Land Management; KEN COLLUM, Field Manager of Eagle Lake Field Office, Defendants.IN DEFENSE OF ANIMALS; DREAMCATCHER WILD HORSE AND BURRO SANCTUARY; BARBARA CLARKE; CHAD HANSON; LINDA HAY, Plaintiffs, v. UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR; BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT; KEN SALAZAR, Secretary of the United States Department of the Interior; ROBERT ABBEY, Director of the Bureau of Land Management; KEN COLLUM, Field Manager of Eagle Lake Field Office, Defendants.
THE LAWSUIT
The lawsuit challenges the BLM’s approval and implementation of the 2010 Twin Peaks Gather Plan – which approved the round-up and removal of close to 2,000 wild horses and burros from the Twin Peaks HMA in northern California and western Nevada. The lawsuit seeks to set aside this decision for violations of the Wild Free Roaming Horses and Burros Act, including the transfer of wild horses to long-term holding facilities in the midwest, and the National Environmental Policy Act, for failure to adequately analyze the impacts of the round-up.
Source: In Defense of Animals (IDA)
Tuesday's Horse 
Cannot attend however my prayers our with you and the wild herds. The BLM have got to stop breaking the laws of America and the ignoring the wishes of people here in America and around the world. They need to be defuned as they are wasting tax payers money, stripping our wild life, resources, selling our public land resources to thechighest bidder, draining and polluting our already precious water supply, and catering to big corporate interests. They have and are abusing the honored position the American people have entrusted in them. We want America wild herds protected, we want our resources owned by Americans, we want people protected from being forced off their land. It’s time for this agency to be held accountable they are not above the law. They need to put their guns away stop killing wild life and keeping the public from the wild horses and burros they put in long term holding where time and time again we see proof they are being sold back door to slaughter. These long-term holding facilities may be strategically located on private land of chosen buddies but our taxes our paying millions for their care and they belong to the American people we want access. Better yet we want what’s left of them returned to our public lands. We want local and state law enforcement to honor our constitution and their oath of office and say no to the unethical practices against wild herds, family farm confiscation to force them off their land. We’re so frustrated and tired as our elected officials in Washington aren’t listening and like the BLM ignore emails, snail mail, petitions, posts, faxes, calls, we law abiding citizens and want our public lands protected not destroyed. Concerned for our freedom and what will be left behind or not left behind for future generations.
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Alot of this would not be happening if it were not for the lobbying and push of The Cattlemen who are consuming our Wild herds land, it is a disgrace and people need to write their Congressmen and Senators and urge them to return the land that has been taken from our Wild herds to be given back, only we can make the difference in their future and its time we all join in the fight, together we can stop this.
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Mark the date feb 24th. Just for , 60 seconds our day, pray,focus your energy, or scream , let all that is good in this world and the next be whitness to thease proceedings. let’s be there for the burros and horses even if our physical body’s can not. I myself ask for St.Francis , patron saint of animals for help.
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Ditto. Fingers crossed for the horses and burros.
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Hello, Hannon. I agree with you 1000%.
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I wish with all my heart that everyone involved in these proceedings feel compassion for these innocent, beautiful wild horses and burros.And a wise intelligent judge would help too!
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