NEVADA- A rancher and the U.S. government are facing off in a fashion that hasn't been seen since the 1800's. Accused of "illegal grazing," cattle rancher Cliven Bundy is grazing his cattle on the same land his family has used since the early 1800's, when they arrived as settlers and before the Department of the Interior was even created.
The contractors hired to remove Bundy's cattle are following court orders from two different U.S. District Court Judges. Bundy, however, believes that teh federal government has "seized Nevada's sovereignty" by denying him access to public land.
What may be the biggest windfall in this case, however, is the Bureau of Land Management's apparent violation of the communities first amendment rights. The BLM restricted all protests to two designated areas, violating the right to assemble freely. The backlash the BLM received from around the nation cause it to regress the limitations on protest.
http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/10/us/nevada-rancher-rangers-cattle-showdown/index.html?hpt=hp_bn1
The contractors hired to remove Bundy's cattle are following court orders from two different U.S. District Court Judges. Bundy, however, believes that teh federal government has "seized Nevada's sovereignty" by denying him access to public land.
What may be the biggest windfall in this case, however, is the Bureau of Land Management's apparent violation of the communities first amendment rights. The BLM restricted all protests to two designated areas, violating the right to assemble freely. The backlash the BLM received from around the nation cause it to regress the limitations on protest.
http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/10/us/nevada-rancher-rangers-cattle-showdown/index.html?hpt=hp_bn1