Filed Date: March 2, 2026
Case Ongoing
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This case challenges the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) approval of management plans that abruptly change course for past management decisions of sage-grouse habitat across 9 states.
On March 2, 2026, the Center for Biological Diversity, Gallatin Wildlife Association, Great Old Broads for Wilderness, Rocky Mountain Wild, the Sierra Club, the Western Watersheds Project, and the Wildearth Guardians ("Plaintiffs") filed suit in U.S. District Court for the District of Montana against the Montana-Dakotas State Director, the BLM, and acting state directors of the California, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming BLMs ("BLM"). Plaintiffs brought suit in the United States District Court for the District of Montana. The case was initially assigned to Magistrate Judge John Johnston, but was later re-assigned to District Judge Brian Matthew Morris.
The greater sage-grouse is a ground-dwelling bird. Some 16 million sage-grouse once roamed the western United States, but today, scientists estimate fewer than 200,000 are alive. In response to a 80 percent decline in population over the last two decades, federal agencies have taken a number of steps to protect sage-grouse habitat. The 2015 sage-grouse Management Plans prioritized oil and gas leasing outside of sage-grouse habitat and prohibited development on critical habitat. In 2017, the first Trump Administration began to dismantle the 2015 Plans to enact the administration's "energy dominance" agenda.
Today, the sage-grouse's habitat is also still disappearing at an alarming rate of 1.3 million acres per year. And as a forewarning for the remaining range, North Dakota’s sage-grouse population now appears to be effectively extinct. However, Plaintiffs allege that the 2025 Plan Amendments are "weaker in nearly all respects than the 2015 Plans" and build on the dismantling conducted during the first Trump Administration.
Plaintiffs challenge the BLM's approval of the 2025 Management Plan Amendments for greater sage-grouse in Montana, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming. Plaintiffs allege that BLM's approval of the 2025 Management Plan Amendments violates the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA), APA, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and BLM Planning Regulations. Plaintiffs seek declaratory and injunctive relief to reverse the 2025 plans and require a new legally compliant planning process.
This case is ongoing.
Summary Authors
Allison Opheim (4/18/2026)
For PACER's information on parties and their attorneys, see: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72350818/parties/center-for-biological-diversity-v-germann/
Johnston, John T. (Montana)
Morris, Brian Matthew (Montana)
Hursh, Andrew (Montana)
Parker, Margaret (Montana)
Stellberg, Sarah (Montana)
See docket on RECAP: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72350818/center-for-biological-diversity-v-germann/
Last updated April 20, 2026, 3:13 a.m.
State / Territory:
Case Type(s):
Special Collection(s):
Trump Administration 2.0: Challenges to the Government
Key Dates
Filing Date: March 2, 2026
Case Ongoing: Yes
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
Center for Biological Diversity, Gallatin Wildlife Association, Great Old Broads for Wilderness, Rocky Mountain Wild, Sierra Club, Western Watersheds Project, and Wildearth Guardians
Plaintiff Type(s):
Non-profit NON-religious organization
Public Interest Lawyer: Yes
Filed Pro Se: No
Class Action Sought: No
Class Action Outcome: Not sought
Case Details
Causes of Action:
Administrative Procedure Act, 5 U.S.C. §§ 551 et seq.
National Environmental Protection Act, 42 U.S.C. §§ 4321–4370f
Other Dockets:
District of Montana 4:26-cv-00021
Available Documents:
Outcome
Prevailing Party: None Yet / None
Relief Sought:
Relief Granted:
Source of Relief:
Issues
General/Misc.:
Environmental Justice and Resources:
Environmental Impact Statements
Case Summary of Center for Biological Diversity v. Germann, Civil Rights Litig. Clearinghouse, https://clearinghouse.net/case/47868/ (last updated 4/18/2026).