Judge halts Forest Service headquarters move to Utah, dealing setback to state leaders

A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from moving the U.S. Forest Service headquarters from Washington to Salt Lake City, according to the Utah News Dispatch and the Deseret News.

U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria of the Northern District of California issued the preliminary order Tuesday, the Deseret News reported. It also blocks much of the Agriculture Department's broader reorganization while a lawsuit continues.

The court's reasoning

Chhabria found that Congress had restricted USDA from reorganizing without its approval, and wrote that the department had almost certainly been violating those limits, the Utah News Dispatch reported. The order bars USDA leaders from closing offices or moving positions outside the capital region.

The judge noted the relief could be short-lived, since the spending restrictions run only through Dec. 11, when current government funding expires, and Congress could decline to extend them.

The plan and the fight

Rollins had said the move would bring leaders closer to the lands they manage. Neither outlet reported a USDA response to the ruling.

The suit was brought by unions, nonprofits and local governments. Everett Kelley of the American Federation of Government Employees told the Deseret News the moves were never about efficiency.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, Senate President Stuart Adams and House Speaker Mike Schultz called the ruling a setback in a joint statement and said they hope it is quickly reversed.