Burgum

FOR PUBLICATION

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT

FRIENDS OF ANIMALS, No. 24-5786 D.C. No. Plaintiff - Appellant, 3:22-cv-00365-

ART-CLB

v.

DOUG BURGUM, in his official capacity as Secretary of the Interior; OPINION

UNITED STATES BUREAU OF

LAND MANAGEMENT, an Agency of the United States,

Defendants - Appellees.

Appeal from the United States District Court for the District of Nevada Anne R. Traum, District Judge, Presiding

Argued and Submitted October 21, 2025 Phoenix, Arizona

Filed January 14, 2026

Before: Richard C. Tallman, Bridget S. Bade, and Kenneth K. Lee, Circuit Judges.

Opinion by Judge Tallman SUMMARY*

Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act / National Environmental Policy Act

The panel affirmed the district court’s summary judgment in favor of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in an action brought by Friends of Animals challenging BLM’s decision to approve a contract with JS Livestock for a new off-range corral (ORC) on private land in Winnemucca, Nevada, to hold and feed up to 4,000 wild horses and burros. The panel held that Friends established representational standing on…