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TUESDAY, MARCH 26, 2002

A federal judge in Montana has ruled that the way a county elects its commissioners discriminates against Native voters.

The Department of Justice brought the case against Blaine County, alleging infringement of Native rights under the 1965 Voting Rights Act. The judge agreed that the county's districts dilute the power of Fort Belknap Reservation residents.

The county has not said if it will appeal. Interior Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management Rebecca W. Watson was helping the county defend itself prior to joining the Bush administration.

Mountain States Legal Foundation, a Colorado firm which once employed Secretary Gale Norton, was also representing the county. The group has fought tribes and the federal government on sacred site protections.

Get the Story:
Judge: Blaine election system illegal (The Great Falls Tribune 3/26)

Related Stories:
Interior pick fighting Native voting rights (11/6)
Native voting rights case on trial (10/10)