FROM THE ARCHIVE
Two years ago an order on trust
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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2001 On December 21, 1999, U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth issued what he called a "stunning victory" for 300,000 American Indian beneficiaries whose trust assset have been mismanaged for more than a century. "It would be difficult to find a more historically mismanaged federal program than the Individual Indian Money (IIM) trust," Lamberth began in his 142-page landmark decision. "The United States, the trustee of the IIM trust, cannot say how much money is or should be in the trust." Two years later, Lamberth has discovered, not much has changed. After receiving a promise from then-Secretary of Interior Bruce Babbitt to bring the "ship" of trust reform into "safe harbor," a series of scatching court reports and opinions have shown that the government is still, in many ways, in much the same position as it was in December 1999. A full and accurate accounting of funds owned to beneficiaries is far off, a $40 million trust accounting system is in shambles and current Secretary Gale Norton has made a promise of her own to make trust reform a reality. "I mean, I just have to think out loud what have I accomplished in spending the hours and weeks I've sat here?" Lamberth said this week during Norton's contempt trial. "I just don't understand what it is that the court has actually accomplished."
Contempt trial breaking for Christmas (12/21)
IIM checks being delayed at Interior (12/21)
Interior can't find proof of corruption (12/21)
Get Lamberth's Order:
MEMORANDUM OPINION: FINDINGS OF FACT AND CONCLUSIONS OF LAW (December 21, 1999) Relevant Links:
Indian Trust, Department of Interior - http://www.doi.gov/indiantrust
Indian Trust: Cobell v. Norton - http://www.indiantrust.com Related Stories:
Norton drops objections to court monitor (12/20)
TAAMS: The Titanic Failure (12/20)
Judge questions role in trust fund 'circus' (12/20)
TAAMS failure traced to promoted manager (12/20)
Ruling on court monitor put off (12/20)
Judge rebuffs Norton challenge (12/17)
Week two of trial continues today (12/17)
History of neglect drives trust case (12/17)
Judge eager for Norton testimony (12/13)
Editorial: Bad faith, wasted dollars (12/13)
Confusion, conflict detailed at Interior (12/12)
Exclusive: Trust reform assessment (12/12)
Lamberth pokes fun at government (12/12)
EDS trust reform report online (12/12)
Coverage of Contempt Trial, Day 2 (12/12)
Contempt trial continues (12/11)
Contested reports focus of contempt trial (12/11)
The Trial: Witnesses to Contempt (12/11)
Coverage of Contempt Trial, Day 1 (12/11)
Norton contempt trial opens (12/10)
Norton attacks court monitor (12/10)
Norton set for contempt trial (12/10)
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You are enjoying stories from the Indianz.Com Archive, a collection dating back to 2000. Some outgoing links may no longer work due to age.
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