HELENA, Mont. (August 18, 2025) – The Montana Stockgrowers Association (MSGA) filed an amicus brief alongside the Wyoming Stockgrowers Association (WSGA) and Wyoming Wool Growers Association (WWGA) to the United States Supreme Court in a crucial corner crossing case.
The original litigation centered around four hunters who accessed checkerboarded public land via a ladder over the corner of private property. The landowner, the plaintiff, sought to uphold the long-established principal in Wyoming that considered corner crossing to be a trespass. However, in March 2025, the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the right to corner cross to access federal public lands as long as a private landowner’s land is not physically touched. The plaintiffs, the landowner, have since filed a petition for the case to be elevated to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The filed amicus brief provides a compelling argument from a landowners perspective for the court to take up the case and highlights the importance of a property owner’s right to protect their airspace, and land, from trespass.
“Corner crossing is a serious threat to the integrity of private landownership, undermines long-standing property boundaries, and may set a harmful precedent that erodes the ability of landowners to manage and protect their property,” explained Raylee Honeycutt, MSGA Executive Vice President. “MSGA has a long history of advocating for clear, consistent laws that uphold the rights of landowners while supporting access solutions that respect both public and private interests.”
WSGA Executive Vice President Jim Magagna noted, “Wyoming Stock Growers has been engaged in this litigation since the case was initially filed in Federal District Court. It has been our position that private property rights are appropriately under the jurisdiction of the state. Today, we are urging the Supreme Court to take up this case to provide a definitive answer to the trespass issue and to assure conformity in the law across the West. We are appreciative of the Wyoming Wool Growers and the Montana Stockgrowers joining us in this effort.”
“The Wyoming Wool Growers have been engaged in the corner crossing case since shortly after the case began. We are happy to support the WSGA and MSGA and come together to preserve private property rights in the West, shared Alison R. Crane, Ph.D., Executive Director of Wyoming Wool Growers Association.
MSGA, WSGA, and WWGA have defended private property rights for more than a century and will remain engaged in supporting movements toward affirming those protections.
The Montana Stockgrowers Association is a grassroots membership organization and is the trusted voice of cattle ranchers. With over 140 years of history, MSGA advocates and ensures cattle ranching remains relevant, safe and a sustainable way of life for generations to come.
The Wyoming Stock Growers Association is a nonprofit corporation organized on April 4, 1872, to advance and protect the interest of the state’s livestock producers. The WSGA was the second state cattlemen’s organization created in the United States and the first association formed in the Wyoming territory. The WSGA is the primary organization in the state focused on serving the needs of the cattle industry, which is the largest segment of Wyoming’s agricultural production.
The Wyoming Wool Growers Association is a membership organization that works to protect, preserve, promote, and enhance the sheep, lamb, wool, goat and livestock industries of Wyoming, as well as the ranching communities and lifestyle of Wyoming and the West. WWGA works to care for, enhance, and add value to the natural resources of the state of Wyoming.
CONTACT:
Keni Reese
Director of Marketing & Communications
406-442-3420
To view more MSGA news, visit https://mtbeef.org/news/
