PEOPLE FOR ETHICAL TREAT. v. US FISH AND WILDLIFE

Nos. 14-4151 & 14-4165.

852 F.3d 990 (2017)

PEOPLE FOR the ETHICAL TREATMENT OF PROPERTY OWNERS, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE; Daniel M. Ashe, acting in his official capacity as Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service; Noreen Walsh, acting in her official capacity as Regional Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service's Mountain-Prairie Region; United States Department of the Interior; Ryan Zinke, Defendants-Appellants, and Friends of Animals, Intervenor Defendant-Appellant. Defenders of Wildlife; David S. Cohen; Eric M. Freedman; Stephen Gardbaum; Stephen Gottlieb; M. Isabel Medina; Steven D. Schwinn; Environmental Law Professors; William C. Banks; National Association of Home Builders; Animal Welfare Institute; Wyoming Association of Conservation Districts; Center for Biological Diversity; Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation; Humane Society of the United States; Sierra Club; Wyoming Stock Growers Association; Wildearth Guardians; Wyoming Wool Growers Association; Utah Farm Bureau Federation; Cato Institute and Professors of Constitutional Law; State of Utah; State of Alaska; State of Arizona; State of Colorado; State of Idaho; State of Kansas; State of Montana; State of South Dakota; State of Wyoming; State of Michigan; Chamber of Commerce of the United States and The National Federation of Independent Business; Mountain States Legal Foundation; United States Senators Mike Lee, James Inhofe, Mike Enzi, David Vitter, Ted Cruz, and Orrin Hatch and Congressmen Jason Chaffetz, Chris Stewart, Mia Love, and Rob Bishop; Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence, Amici Curiae.

United States Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit.

FILED March 29, 2017.


Attorney(s) appearing for the Case

Anna T. Katselas , Attorney ( John C. Cruden , Assistant Attorney General, David C. Shilton , and Mary Hollingsworth , Attorneys, of the U.S. Department of Justice, Environment and Natural Resources Division, Washington, D.C., with her on the briefs), for Defendants-Appellants.

Michael Ray Harris , of Friends of Animals, Wildlife Law Program, Centennial, Colorado, for Intervenor Defendant-Appellant.

Jonathan Wood ( M. Reed Hopper , with him on the brief), of Pacific Legal Foundation, Sacramento, California, for Plaintiff-Appellee.

Jason C. Rylander and Karimah Schoenhut of Defenders of Wildlife, Washington, D.C., filed an amici curiae brief for Defenders of Wildlife, Animal Welfare Institute, Center for Biological Diversity, Humane Society of the United States, Sierra Club, and Wildearth Guardians, in support of Defendants-Appellants.

David M. Driesen , Unversity Professor, of Syracuse University College of Law, Syracuse, New York, filed an amici curiae brief for Constitutional Law Professors William C. Banks , David S. Cohen , Eric M. Freedman , Stephen Gardbaum , Stephen E. Gottlieb , M. Isabel Medina , and Steven D. Schwinn , in support of Defendants-Appellants.

Daniel H. Lutz and Hope M. Babcock of Institute for Public Representation, Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, D.C., filed an amicus curiae brief for Environmental Law Professors in support of Defendants-Appellants.

Thomas J. Ward and Jeffrey B. Augello of National Association of Home Builders, Washington, D.C., and Norman D. James , Fennemore Craig, P.C., Phoenix, Arizona, filed an amicus curiae brief in support of Plaintiff-Appellee.

Karen Budd-Falen of Budd-Falen Law Offices, LLC, Cheyenne, Wyoming, filed an amici curiae brief for Wyoming Association of Conservation Districts, Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation, Wyoming Stock Growers Association, Wyoming Wool Growers Association, and Utah Farm Bureau Federation, in support of Plaintiff-Appellee.

Ilya Shapiro and Julio Colomba , of Cato Institute, Washington, D.C., filed an amici curiae brief for Cato Institute and Professors of Constitutional Law, in support of Plaintiff-Appellee.

Damien M. Schiff of Alston & Bird LLP, Sacramento, California, filed an amici curiae brief for United States Senators Mike Lee , James Inhofe , Mike Enzi , David Vitter , Ted Cruz , and Orrin Hatch and Congressmen Jason Chaffetz , Chris Stewart , Mia Love , and Rob Bishop in support of Plaintiff-Appellee.

Sean D. Reyes , Utah Attorney General, and Bridget K. Romano , Utah Solicitor General, Anthony L. Rampton and Kathy A.F. Davis , Assistant Utah Attorneys General, Salt Lake City, Utah, Craig W. Richards , Attorney General, Juneau, Alaska, Mark Brnovich , Attorney General, Phoenix, Arizona, Cynthia Coffman , Attorney General, Denver, Colorado, Lawrence G. Wasden , Attorney General, Boise, Idaho, Derek Schmidt , Attorney General, Topeka, Kansas, Tim Fox , Attorney General, Helena, Montana, Marty Jackley , Attorney General, Pierre, South Dakota, and Peter K. Michael , Attorney General, Cheyenne, Wyoming, filed an amici curiae brief for the States of Utah, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, South Dakota, and Wyoming in support of Plaintiff-Appellee.

Steven J. Lechner of Mountain States Legal Foundation, Lakewood, Colorado, filed an amicus curiae brief for Mountain States Legal Foundation in support of Plaintiff-Appellee.

John C. Eastment , Anthony T. Caso , and Cristen Wohlgemuth of Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence, Orange, California, filed an amicus curiae brief for Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence in support of Plaintiff-Appellee.

William S. Consovoy and J. Michael Connolly of Consovoy McCarthy PLLC, Arlington, Virginia; Patrick Strawbridge of Consovoy McCarthy PLLC, Boston, Massachusetts; Kate Comerford Todd and Sheldon Gilbert of U.S. Chamber Litigation Center, Inc., Washington, D.C.; and Karen R. Harned and Luke A. Wake of NFIB Small Business Legal Center, Washington, D.C., filed an amici curiae brief for the Chamber of Commerce of the United States and the National Federation of Independent Business in support of Plaintiff-Appellee.

Before HOLMES, McHUGH, and MORITZ, Circuit Judges.


People for the Ethical Treatment of Property Owners ("PETPO") challenges a regulation promulgated by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service ("FWS" or "Service") pursuant to the Endangered Species Act ("ESA"). The challenged regulation prohibits the "take" of the Utah prairie dog, a purely intrastate species, on nonfederal...

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