Summary: A Thurston County judge dismissed the lawsuit with prejudice, preserving the state’s Game Management Plan.
Today, October 9, 2026, Thurston County Superior Court Judge Anne Eagler agreed with Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation (SAF) and dismissed Washington Wildlife First’s lawsuit challenging the state’s Game Management Plan(GMP)—with prejudice.
What did the court rule today?
The Court ruled that the plaintiffs did not have standing to challenge the GMP.
“Standing is a threshold requirement that everyone filing a lawsuit bears the burden of proving before the court can hear the case,” said Michael Jean, Litigation Counsel for Sportsmen’s Alliance. “Our courts are limited to hearing ‘cases and controversies.’ A plaintiff must show that they have suffered an actual concrete injury, which was caused by the defendant, and the court can redress that injury with a favorable ruling.”
Specifically, the court ruled that the plaintiffs suffered no concrete injury from the GMP’s goals. Because the state has not yet implemented these goals, the plaintiffs relied entirely on hypothetical and speculative future actions.
“The plaintiffs’ standing was so bad that the court dismissed the case with prejudice, which means that they cannot bring it again,” Jean continued. “That shows that there was no theoretical way that they could be injured by the GMP’s goals.”
Washington Wildlife First can still challenge any future management decision that implements the goals. Until then, however, they have no case.
What was at issue in the case?
The lawsuit centered on the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission’s and Department’s authority to set goals for future wildlife decisions. Yhe Commission unanimously approved the GMP in February 2026.
The GMP’s broad goals include:
- reducing poaching crimes;
- maintaining hunter satisfaction;
- incorporating new science into management;
- increasing comment opportunities;
- perpetuating species; and
- managing the species for a variety of aesthetic interests, including hunting;
In addition, the GMP sets goals for individual species:
- ensuring sustainable populations and functioning ecosystems;
- managing the species for a variety of recreational, educational, and aesthetic purposes;
- managing the species for a sustainable harvest; and
- when necessary, reducing conflicts between humans and wildlife.
Notably, the GMP does not authorize any specific wildlife management action, and to date, no specific action has been taken. These are just goals that the Department and Commission are to consider when making future decisions.
Washington Wildlife First disagrees with those goals and filed a lawsuit against the Commission and Department seeking to invalidate the GMP. Invalidating the GMP would effectively nullify the state’s ability to engage in sustainable use conservation. Therefore, SAF intervened in the case to defend the plan.
What was SAF’s impact on the case?
“Our argument carried the day, and we got a win for sportsmen in Washington,” Jean concluded.
Issues like these are at the heart of the Sportsmen’s Alliance mission, and we will continue to monitor this important matter. Don’t stand on the sidelines—join us as a member or as a donor of the Sportsmen’s Legal Defense Fund in protecting tomorrow’s hunting, fishing, and trapping heritage today.
