Bundy standoff
The case of "United States v. Bundy" played out over many years in the United States District Court for the District of Nevada. It involved court orders, injunctions, and notices. Bundy argued "pro se" (without a lawyer) that the land belongs to the state. The Bureau of Land Management was represented by the U.S. Attorney's Office for Nevada and the United States Department of Justice. District Judge Larry R. Hicks ruled that the land on which Bundy was grazing his cattle was indeed owned by the federal government, that Bundy had not been paying to use it as he should have been, that Bundy was trespassing, and that the government had the right to enforce the injunctions against trespass. Hicks found that Bundy had repeatedly violated court orders.
Timeline of the occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge
On January 19, Ammon Bundy and several other militant occupiers appeared unannounced at a community meeting in Burns without addressing the crowd. Attendees of the meeting were roughly split between supporters and opponents of the occupation, with some jeering Bundy to leave. Harney County Judge Steven Grasty directly addressed Bundy with the statement, "It is time for you to go home," provoking cheers from the crowd. Others expressed support for the occupation and its goals. An open letter from the staff of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge was read to the crowd, marking the first time the staff had broken their silence since the occupation began. The letter was posted to the refuge's official Facebook page; it expressed a reminder to the community that the staff members are part of said community too, that their silence was out of a desire not to make the situation more inflamed, and that the employees hoped to return to their homes and jobs within the community soon. The next morning, Ammon Bundy gave a 90-minute lecture at the refuge firehouse to his supporters describing his views on law and the United States Constitution, which he claims are justification for lending control over land rights from the federal level to the state level.