Today’s Missoulian made a valiant effort to summarize yesterday’s hearing before Judge Molloy regarding the recently proposed deal to return wolf management to the states of Montana and Idaho, as well as other related matters. It’s a bit of a mess. Settle down with your favorite beverage before diving into this one . . .
Wolves faced two kinds of hunts during a hearing before U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy on Thursday.
A proposed settlement between wolf advocates and the federal government could open up public wolf hunting in Montana and Idaho, if Molloy supports it.
But he’s also considering an older case that considers how federal and state authorities could kill wolves while they’re still protected under the Endangered Species Act.
Complicating matters, the settlement has fractured both sides of the wolf delisting case, resulting in a courtroom Thursday with almost two dozen lawyers representing different factions.