NATIONAL PARK CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION v. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (2026)

United States Court of Appeals, First Circuit.

NATIONAL PARK CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION; American Association for State and Local History; Association of National Park Rangers; Coalition To Protect America's National Parks; Society for Experiential Graphic Design; Union of Concerned Scientists, Plaintiffs - Appellees, v. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR; Doug Burgum, in the official capacity as Secretary of the Interior; National Park Service; Jessica Bowron, in the official capacity as the Official Exercising the Delegated Authority of the Director, Defendants - Appellants.

No. 26-1714

Decided: June 23, 2026

Before Barron, Chief Judge, Gelpí and Rikelman, Circuit Judges.

Steven Y. Bressler, Brooke Menschel, Mark Samburg, Robin F. Thurston, Michael J. Torcello, Democracy Forward Foundation, Washington, DC, Pablo Moraga, Democracy Forward, Washington, DC, for Plaintiffs-Appellees. Abraham R. George, Donald Campbell Lockhart, U.S. Attorney's Office, Boston, MA, Robert Nolan Stander, U.S. Dept of Justice, Environment & Natural Resources Division, Washington, DC, Ian Swenson, Christopher Hair, U.S. Dept of Justice, Washington, DC, Romney Philpott, U.S. Dept of Justice, ENRD, Denver, CO, for Defendants-Appellants.

ORDER OF COURT

This is an appeal, inter alia, from a preliminary injunction entered on June 12, 2026, in the District Court for the District of Massachusetts (the “Order”). We have jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1292(a)(1). Defendants-Appellants have filed in this court an Emergency Motion for Stay Pending Appeal or, Alternatively, an Administrative Stay (the “Motion”). Plaintiffs-Appellees have filed an Opposition. The Motion contains two requests; the sole request we address in this order is the request for an administrative stay.

After careful review, we grant the request for an administrative stay of the Order in part. That is, the request for an immediate administrative stay of paragraphs 2, 3, and 4 of the Order is granted. Order at 62-63. This administrative stay leaves in place the District Court's stay of the Secretary's Order under 5 U.S.C. § 705. See United States v. Texas, ––– U.S. ––––, 144 S.Ct. 797, 798, ––– L.Ed.2d –––– (2024) (Barrett, J., concurring) (discussing considerations relevant to administrative stays). We intend to rule on the request for a stay pending appeal promptly.

Was this helpful?

Why was this helpful?

Easy to understand

Solved my problem

Other

Why was this not helpful?

Missing the information I need

Too complicated / too many steps

Out of date

Other

Thank you for your feedback!

Trusted by Consumers. Recognized by AI.

As the largest network of trusted legal brands, we help firms build authority across the platforms consumers and AI systems rely on most. Our network helps attorneys strengthen visibility, credibility, and preference where legal decisions begin.

Explore the Network