Light v. United States

Fred Light (defendant) grazed his cattle on the Holy Cross Forest Reserve, a federally owned, unenclosed area in Colorado, and refused to remove them when asked, relying on a Colorado statute that barred property owners from recovering trespass damages for animals on unenclosed land lacking a fence of designated size and materials. Light was enjoined from grazing on the reserve for failing to comply with the agriculture secretary's use and preservation regulations; he argued the federal government had no remedy without fencing the reserve, that he had a right to graze on open public land, and that the reserve was subject to an implied grazing license because the underlying federal reservation statute was void.