#1728 The Law and National Monuments

Clay interviews Professor Mark Squillace of the University of Colorado Boulder's law school about the history and future of the National Monuments. When Congress created the National Monuments system in 1906, did they consider what the maximum size should be for a presidential proclamation of a new National Monument? Since a president can create a National Monument by executive order, can a later president reduce or eliminate that National Monument? Did the men who created the Antiquities Act understand that many National Monuments, like the Grand Canyon, would later graduate into full National Park status? With the Trump administration paring down some National Monuments, will a test case go to the Supreme Court to determine who, if anyone, has the authority to reduce the size of an already dedicated National Monument? And what was Theodore Roosevelt's role in our interpretation of the Antiquities Act? This episode was recorded on August 6, 2026.