The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments in the Indian trust fund lawsuit on May 15.

Some Indian beneficiaries are challenging the $3.4 billion settlement. The most prominent critic is Kimberly Craven, a member of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate of South Dakota.

The appeals have delayed distribution of the settlement funds. Payments were expected to go out by December 2011.

The D.C. Circuit agreed to expedite the challenges but the briefing schedule made it clear that it would take months to resolve. Craven filed her latest reply on Friday.

The case will be heard at 9:30am at May 15 by Judges Merrick B. Garland, Janice Rogers Brown, and Thomas B. Griffith, according to a court order. Brown, who was nominated by former President George W. Bush, has a negative Indian law record.

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Craven Appeal of Cobell Moves Forward (Indian Country Today 1/6)