ASSOCIATED PRESS • July 5, 2022
A federal judge on Tuesday threw out a host of actions by the Trump administration to roll back protections for endangered or threatened species, a year after the Biden administration said it was moving to strengthen species protections weakened under former President Donald Trump. U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar in Northern California eliminated the Trump-era rules even as two wildlife agencies under President Joe Biden are reviewing or rescinding the Trump-era regulations. The decision restores some protections under the Endangered Species Act while the reviews are completed. The decision speeds up needed protections and designation of critical habitat designations for threatened species.