The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals is questioning the future of a dispute involving the Cherokee Nation, the state of Oklahoma and the poultry industry.

The tribe sought to intervene in a lawsuit the state filed against poultry companies. The tribe said its rights in the Illinois River are at stake but Judge Gregory Frizzell rejected the request as untimely and started a trial that ended in February.

The tribe appealed but the Tulsa World reported that the 10th Circuit is asking the parties whether a ruling will have an impact on the case. The responses could determine whether the court hears the dispute at all.

Frizzell has yet to issue a decision on the state's claims that the poultry industry has polluted the Illinois River. The tribe says a 10th Circuit decision on its status as a plaintiff in the case could affect his rulings.

Get the Story:
Court to consider Cherokees' poultry-case appeal (The Tulsa World 4/3)

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