A federal judge said he won't allow Fremont County in Wyoming to ignore his decision in an Indian voting rights lawsuit.

Judge Alan B. Johnson determined that the county's at-large system dilutes Indian voting rights. ordered the county to create a system of single-member districts.

The county claims that it can draw up any system as long as it doesn't violate the Voting Rights Act. But Johnson declined to reconsider his earlier decision.

The county is being represented by the Mountain States Legal Foundation, a group that has lost a number of Indian voting rights cases. The group has fought protections for sacred sites, opposed subsistence rights for Alaska Natives and has represented clients who opposed tribal sovereignty.

The plaintiffs, who are members of the Eastern Shoshone Tribe and the Northern Arapaho Tribe, have proposed a district that encompasses the Wind River Reservation.

Get the Story:
Judge: Fremont voting ruling stands (AP 6/10)

Lawsuit Documents:
Large v. Fremont County (ACLU)

Related Stories:
County delaying election after losing Indian voting lawsuit (6/3)
Editorial: County should follow Indian voting rights decision (6/1)
Plaintiffs in voting rights case seek district for reservation (5/4)
Editorial: Wyoming Indians win major voting rights ruling (5/3)