New challenges for endangered species

Good morning, New Hampshire, and welcome to Wednesday. Today, Molly Rains looks at the new challenges for New Hampshire’s endangered and threatened species amid federal rule rollbacks. Also, States Newsroom’s Ariana Figueroa reports on the birthright citizenship battle between the Trump administration and the ACLU in a New Hampshire court. And, from Stateline’s Sofia Resnick, how the Lindsay Clancy case is spurring state legislation on maternal mental health. Thank you for reading, and for supporting our work. — Dana

By Molly Rains

Though they can be tricky to spot, the charisma and rarity of some of New Hampshire’s federally endangered and threatened species have bought them some local celebrity. Recognizable and photogenic, for example, are the piping plovers that raise puffball chicks on the Seacoast; Concord’s own sky-colored Karner blue butterflies; and the rare and evasive Canada lynx. But all of these species, among others, are listed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as endangered or threatened. Since 1973, species on these lists have been afforded certain federal protections under the Endangered Species Act. What that means is now changing, however, as the Trump administration moves to reinterpret the law.

By Ariana Figueroa

A New Hampshire federal judge seemed skeptical during a Tuesday hearing that a civil rights group could continue with a challenge to block President Donald Trump’s second attempt to redefine the constitutional right to birthright citizenship, suggesting that a new lawsuit might be needed.

By Sofia Resnick

The mistrial in Lindsay Clancy’s murder trial earlier this month places her future in doubt, three years after she killed her three children in Duxbury, Massachusetts. But one potential outcome is a state legislative push to boost mental health support for new mothers.