A federal judge has partially sided with American Prairie in its fight to keep bison on Bureau of Land Management grazing allotments in north-central Montana, issuing a preliminary injunction that blocks the agency from enforcing a removal deadline on three of the six disputed parcels. U.S. District Judge Brian Morris issued the 29-page order on Friday, as first reported by ktvh.com.
What the Order Covers
The injunction allows American Prairie’s bison to remain on the Telegraph Creek, Box Elder, and Whiterock allotments, where the organization currently grazes its herd. Judge Morris declined to extend the injunction to three additional allotments — Flat Creek, French Coulee, and Garey Coulee — where American Prairie does not have animals at present.
The order does not settle the underlying lawsuit. It is a preliminary ruling that keeps the status quo in place while the legal dispute over BLM’s grazing permit decisions moves forward.
Background on the Dispute
Earlier this year, the BLM terminated six permits that had authorized American Prairie to graze bison on federal land in the region, then reissued those permits limited to cattle only. The agency’s 2026 decision defined grazing permits as applying to domestic animals used for “production-oriented purposes,” a standard BLM argued American Prairie’s conservation-focused bison operation did not meet.
With a removal deadline of September 30 approaching, American Prairie — which has more than 900 bison on federal allotments — argued that compliance would require the transfer or culling of roughly 300 animals, causing irreparable harm to the herd and the organization’s mission.
The central legal question is whether American Prairie’s bison qualify as “livestock” under the Taylor Grazing Act, the 1934 federal law that governs grazing on BLM-managed public lands.
Judge’s Reasoning
Judge Morris found that American Prairie was likely to succeed on the merits of its claim, that the organization faced irreparable harm without relief, and that the balance of equities favored granting the injunction. Critically, the order concluded that American Prairie’s domestic bison do qualify as livestock under the Taylor Grazing Act — a direct rejection of BLM’s narrower interpretation.
Beth Saboe of American Prairie called the ruling a victory, telling ktvh.com: “The court’s ruling recognizes what American Prairie has been arguing from the beginning, that the Taylor Grazing Act does not require a grazing operation to focus exclusively on production and ignore conservation or restoration.”
Rancher Reaction
Local ranchers have watched the dispute closely. Perri Jacobs, whose ranch sits roughly 50 miles south of Malta, said she was not caught off guard by the outcome. “I’m not surprised that they were able to get an injunction and are going to be allowed to keep their bison on the landscape for a while until this is finally decided,” Jacobs told ktvh.com.
Her measured tone reflects a broader reality in north-central Montana: many ranchers oppose American Prairie’s land consolidation and rewilding model, but the legal fight over bison-as-livestock is complex enough that the injunction was widely anticipated once the case reached the merits stage.
What Comes Next
With the September 30 BLM deadline now blocked on three allotments, American Prairie can continue grazing operations there while the lawsuit proceeds. The six allotments where permits were terminated remain at the heart of the case, and a final ruling on the Taylor Grazing Act question could set a significant precedent for how BLM manages conservation-oriented grazing operations on public land across the West.
The injunction provides American Prairie a temporary legal foothold but does not guarantee a favorable outcome when the full case is decided. BLM retains the ability to contest the underlying claims, and the agency’s interpretation of “production-oriented purposes” will likely face further scrutiny before the litigation concludes.