A federal judge rejected arguments from GOP legislative leaders to block Gov. Katie Hobbs from joining a lawsuit against the creation of the newest national monument in Arizona.
Hobbs is looking to get the lawsuit against the federal government tossed.
The U.S. District Court judge said the Biden administration’s goal is to defend the constitutionality of the Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument.
He said that is a different goal from Hobbs and Attorney General Kris Mayes, who say only they have the authority to file litigation objecting to the monument on behalf of state interests.
The judge said that entitles them to seek to dismiss the lawsuit.
Earlier this year, state GOP lawmakers filed suit against the federal government, saying the monument goes against the Antiquities Act of 1906.
If the judge sides with Hobbs and Mayes, he could reject the legislative filings without a hearing.