Seventeen Republican attorneys general have filed an amicus brief in support of a lawsuit brought by South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem against the Biden administration over its decision to deny a request to hold a fireworks display at Mount Rushmore National Memorial in July to celebrate Independence Day.
The Biden administration canceled the fireworks display in a decision in March. Herbert Frost, a regional director for the National Park Service, cited the COVID-19 pandemic as a key factor in making his decision, saying that public health guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) “currently recommends that large gatherings be avoided, particularly those in which physical social distancing cannot be maintained between people who live in different households.”
Noem sued over the decision, calling Mount Rushmore “the very best place to celebrate America’s birthday and all that makes our country special.”
Now her lawsuit has the backing of seventeen attorneys general from Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia. In a court document (pdf), filed on Friday, they called the Biden administration’s decision to cancel the fireworks display “arbitrary and capricious.”
“Given the importance of the Fourth of July holiday and the special role of Mount Rushmore as a national monument, amici States have an interest in seeing the fireworks display take place again this year,” the attorneys general said in the document, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota.
They argued that there is strong public interest in holding a Fourth of July fireworks display at Mount Rushmore, while “the Department of Interior’s flimsy and unsupported rationale for refusing to allow a fireworks display is arbitrary and capricious.”
They argued that last year’s celebration at Mount Rushmore was held when the pandemic was worse and before vaccines were developed.
“More than seven thousand visitors attended, and contact tracing has failed to identify even one case of COVID-19 tied to the event,” they wrote.
In addition to pandemic-related health concerns, the National Park Service also cited opposition from local tribes as factors in rejecting South Dakota’s bid to display fireworks.
The attorneys general acknowledged tribal objections, but argued that, “the mere fact that some people may oppose a fireworks display is not a sufficient justification for cancelling an important national celebration.”
The Epoch Times reached out to the White House for comment following Noem’s lawsuit in April, but did not receive a reply.
Following the announcement of the lawsuit, Ian Fury, communications director for Noem, told The Epoch Times via email that the governor “is going to do everything in her ability to ensure that we can celebrate America’s birthday with fireworks at Mount Rushmore.”
Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.
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