The Secretary of the Interior is authorized, in his discretion and upon submission of evidence of title satisfactory to him, to accept, on behalf of the United States, title to the lands referred to in section 156 of this title as may be deemed by him necessary or desirable for national-park purposes: Provided, That no land for the Big Bend National Park shall be accepted until exclusive jurisdiction over the entire area, in form satisfactory to the Secretary of the Interior, shall have been ceded by the State of Texas to the United States.

Terms Used In 16 USC 157

  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • State: means a State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or any other territory or possession of the United States. See 1 USC 7