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Bush administration responds to Cobell $58B claim (04/11)
The Bush administration on Wednesday filed its response brief in the Cobell Indian trust fund case, calling the claim for $58 billion "unsound" and "absurd." The Department of Justice said the Cobell plaintiffs should drop their case if they no...
'Rough justice' seen in resolving Cobell case (04/07)
An attorney for the plaintiffs in the Cobell Indian trust fund lawsuit says resolving the long-running case amounts to "rough justice." The plaintiffs are asking a federal judge to restore $58 billion to the Individual Indian Money (IIM) trust. The...
House panel threatens to cut historical accounting (04/04)
Key House lawmakers said on Thursday they are considering reducing, or even eliminating, funds for the Bush administration's historical accounting in hopes of sending a message to the judge handling the Cobell trust fund case. Rep. Norm Dicks (D-Washington), the...
Letter: A small spark of justice in Cobell case (03/31)
"A small spark of justice was ignited in January when Appeals Court Judge James Robertson ruled that the Interior Department "unreasonably delayed" its accounting for billions of dollars owed to Indian landholders. The Blackfeet Nation claimed in Cobell v. Kempthorne,...
Cobell plaintiffs seek $58B for Indian trust beneficiaries (03/21)
In papers filed on Wednesday, the Cobell plaintiffs asked a federal judge to put $58 billion in the Indian trust. Citing more than a hundred years of mismanagement, attorneys said hundreds of thousands of Indian beneficiaries are owed the money...
Cobell case moves toward resolution after 12 years (03/06)
The federal judge handling the Indian trust fund case is moving to resolve the case by the end of the summer despite opposition from the Bush administration. At a hearing in Washington, D.C., yesterday, Judge James Robertson scheduled a June...
Judge sets June 9 trial to resolve Cobell case (03/05)
Judge James Robertson today scheduled a June 9 trial to resolve the Cobell trust fund case. Robertson said the proceeding will last about two weeks. He said a decision on a remedy for the hundreds of thousands of Individual Indian...
Judge to hold Cobell hearing this Wednesday (03/03)
A federal judge is holding a status conference this Wednesday, March 5, to discuss the next step in the Cobell trust fund case. On January 30, Judge James Robertson ruled that an historical accounting of the Individual Indian Money (IIM)...
Interior attorney settles whistleblower case (02/28)
An Interior Department attorney who criticized trust management practices in Palm Springs, California, reached a settlement with the government. Robert McCarthy, a field solicitor, will be allowed to resign instead of be fired. He had been accused of leaking confidential...
Next hearing in Cobell case set for March 5 (02/21)
A federal judge will hold a status conference on March 5 to discuss the next step in the Cobell trust fund case. Last month, Judge James Robertson ruled that an historical accounting of the Individual Indian Money (IIM) trust was...
Resolution appears near in Cobell trust case (02/19)
After more than 11 years in the courts, the Cobell trust fund case appears closer to resolution. On January 30, Judge James Robertson ruled that it was "impossible" to conduct an historical accounting of the Individual Indian Money (IIM)...
Editorial: Settle 'botched' Indian trust fund (02/06)
"An exasperated federal judge has reached a logical conclusion regarding a century of botched accounting by federal bureaucrats handling Indian trust accounts: The government failed, miserably. Finally, a decent, honorable and ultimately expensive settlement may be in sight for Blackfeet...
Editorial: Settle the Indian trust fund lawsuit (02/04)
"The federal government took a healthy slap on the wrist last week from a judge for having its hand billions of dollars deep into Indian trust accounts. We hope the latest in a long line of rebukes will spur a...
Kempthorne reiterates $7B Indian trust offer (02/01)
Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne reiterated the Bush administration $7 billion offer to settle the Indian trust when asked about the Cobell case on Thursday. Half of the money would be used to end the Cobell case and pay for future...
Editorial: A remedy for 'neglect' of Indian trust (02/01)
"The case of the mismanaged American Indian trust funds is Dickensian both in length — now 11 years before the courts — and inequity. On Wednesday, Judge James Robertson of the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia ruled...
Judge calls Cobell historical accounting 'impossible' (01/31)
After 11 years of litigation in the courts and debate in Congress, a federal judge on Wednesday declared a historical accounting of the Indian trust "impossible." In a 165-page decision, Judge James Robertson said the Interior Department is "unable...
Editorial: Judge confirms government's failures (01/31)
"With ongoing needs of three American Indian reservations in our area, and the constant reminder of the federal government’s failure to live up to treaty responsibilities in providing health care, housing, education and social services to Indian peoples living on...
Cobell statement on historical accounting decision (01/30)
Elouise Cobell, a member of the Blackfeet Nation of Montana who is the lead plaintiff in the Indian trust fund lawsuit, issued the following statement today after a federal judge said an historical accounting is impossible. "This is a great...
Judge: Cobell historical accounting 'impossible' (01/30)
The federal judge handling the Cobell trust fund case has issued his findings of fact and conclusions of law on the Bush administration's historical accounting. In a 165-page decision, Judge James Robertson said the Interior Department is "unable to perform...
Jim Cason: Historical accounting facts (01/18)
"This is a pivotal time in Indian country for the class of Individual Indian Money account holders represented in the Cobell v. Kempthorne lawsuit. As the Department of the Interior makes significant progress conducting the historical accounting of funds that...
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