Corner‑crossing debate deepens as committee hears opposing views; Supreme Court petition pending

CHEYENNE, Aug. 19 — The Joint Travel, Recreation, Wildlife & Cultural Resources Committee spent the afternoon on a contentious issue that has captured national attention: whether a person who moves from one government‑owned parcel to an adjacent government parcel at the point where the boundaries meet — a “corner cross” — should be exempt from criminal trespass.

LSO staff summarized the draft bill as a narrowly framed change to state law: the draft would add a provision to the criminal trespass statute (Title 6) and the Game and Fish trespass statute (Title 23) providing that travel from one public parcel to an adjacent public parcel at the corner where they meet, without causing damage to any privately owned land adjacent to those parcels, would not constitute criminal trespass. Brian Fuller explained the proposal during the meeting and noted that a related federal case is pending before the U.S. Supreme Court.

“On July 16 the landowner filed a petition…