AUSTIN – The Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) filed a lawsuit challenging the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) unconstitutional and arbitrary seizure of thousands of acres of private property along the Red River in Texas. TPPF’s Center for the American Future is representing individual property owners, the counties of Wichita, Clay, and Wilbarger, and the Clay County Sheriff in the lawsuit.
“BLM’s claim of up to 90,000 acres of private property along the Red River as federal land is nothing short of abusive,” said Robert Henneke, director of the Center for the American Freedom at TPPF. “As recognized by the Supreme Court, BLM’s territory is and has always been only the ‘thin strip of sand’ inside the riverbank—not inside of Texas. The Center for the American Future fiercely opposes BLM’s attempt to take our clients homes and intrude upon the sovereignty of Clay, Wichita, and Wilbarger Counties.”
"My family has been on this land for generations, and now the federal government claims they own it,” said Kenneth Aderholt, one of the plaintiffs in the case. “They are trying to take my house, my ranch, and my livelihood. I want to give this land to my children, not the BLM. Thankfully the Texas Public Policy Foundation is helping me fight the land grab.”
The federal government is attempting to take thousands of acres of Texas land from homeowners and ranchers along the Red River. According to the Bureau of Land Management, the land is inside the river and is therefore public land. However, the south bank of the river is about a mile north of where the government says it is. Furthermore, many Texans live on that land, and many others make their livelihoods from farming and ranching on it. These Texans have lived and paid taxes on the land for generations, and they have titles and deeds going back to the 1800’s.
For more information on the dispute and lawsuit please visit: www.RedRiverPropertyRights.com
To schedule an interview with Mr. Henneke, please contact Caroline Espinosa at [email protected] or 512-472-2700.
The Honorable Robert Henneke is the Director of the Foundation’s Center for the American Future. A rising star of conservative litigation, Henneke has had several of his winning cases result in published court opinions. Prior to joining the Foundation, he served the people of Kerr County as the twice-elected County Attorney where he brought conservative values to county government. As an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Texas, Henneke had a perfect win record in defending Texas, its elected officials, and agencies against federal lawsuits. Henneke is a member of the State Bar of Texas and is admitted to practice before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit as well as all Texas Federal District Courts. He is also a proud Eagle Scout.
The Texas Public Policy Foundation is a non-profit, free-market research institute based in Austin, Texas.