> The US district court judge Brian Morris said […] deter anyone else from trying to “change the genetic makeup of the creatures”.

Why does this judge feel entitled to be the arbiter of the genetic makeup of creatures on Earth?

> They are protected under international convention as a threatened species and outlawed for import into Montana to protect native sheep from disease and hybridization.

These are reasonable concerns, you generally shouldn't move plants or animals across international (or U.S. state) boundaries, but the if the species is threatened then wouldn't people breeding more of them be a good thing? This seems like a weird case where I think it's illegal under the Lacey Act because they're endangered but by importing them he's making them less endangered.

This article seems outraged about this calling it an "audacious scheme" (as opposed to a technicality) while Humans have been breeding sheep for size and other characteristics for thousands of years.