President Donald Trump’s order for the government to review national monuments created by three of his predecessors sets up a potential legal showdown over whether one chief executive has the power to undo another’s decisions. At stake are federal lands revered for their natural beauty and historical significance.
The review goes well beyond a few declarations made in the waning months of Barack Obama’s term. It covers 24 monuments established by three former presidents over more than two decades. A closer look at the issues:
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WHAT IS A NATIONAL MONUMENT?
The 1908 Antiquities Act, enacted under President Theodore Roosevelt, empowers the president to declare as national monuments any landmarks, structures and other “objects of historic or scientific interest” on land owned or controlled by the federal government. Roosevelt established 18 monuments, including the Grand Canyon in Arizona and Devil’s Tower in Wyoming. Most presidents since then have designated additional monuments. Congress has created others.