Appeals cancel trust funds for Lamberth; PART ONE

0 Comments | Indian Country Today (Lakota Times), December, 2004 | by Reynolds, Jerry

Reynolds, Jerry Indian Country Today (Lakota Times) 12-22-2004 WASHINGTON - A federal appeals court panel has empowered the Interior Department to chart its own course in Indian trust funds management, voiding lower court orders for fixing the Individual Indian Money trust. The unanimous decision permits Interior to submit and carry out its own plans for reform.

U.S. District Court Judge Royce C. Lamberth's role is to compel submission of a reform plan to his court, then decide whether the plans and their execution comply with court orders in light of a 1994 reform law. Lamberth will still have substantial authority to weigh in on the results of Interior's reforms once they are undertaken. Instead, wrote Justice Stephen Williams for the U.S. Court of Appeals...