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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4, 2003

Associate Interior Deputy Secretary Jim Cason will take the stand today to testify in the Indian trust fund trial.

Special trustee Ross Swimmer was expected to testify for the Bush administration but is in Tulsa, Oklahoma, attending to his wife. A Department of Justice attorney said his wife had a medical emergency.

Yesterday, Yale University law professor John H. Langbein concluded his testimony. On the stand since Monday, he said Congressional actions have modified the government's trust duties to the point that common law trust standards cannot be easily imposed.

The Cobell v. Norton trial is expected to wrap up this month. U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth is considering ways to ensure the Department of Interior is meeting its obligations to individual Indian beneficiaries.

Relevant Links:
Indian Trust: Cobell v. Norton - http://www.indiantrust.com
Cobell v. Norton, Department of Justice - http://www.usdoj.gov/civil/cases/cobell/index.htm
Indian Trust, Department of Interior - http://www.doi.gov/indiantrust

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