Commissioners in Charles Mix County, South Dakota, voted to ask the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals to rehear a case over the status of the Yankton Sioux Reservation.

In August, the court determined that the reservation consists of land held in trust for the Yankton Sioux Tribe and individual Indians. That comes to about 37,000 acres, much smaller than the reservation the tribe was originally promised.

The deadline to file a petition for rehearing is Friday. The county has asked the 8th Circuit for an extension, an attorney said.

"If we don't rehear this -- there is 100 years of conflict being ignored," said attorney Tom Tobin, The Wagner Announcer reported. "Other states should also be concerned with this ruling. In my view the entire resolve in this case is historical ledger germane."

Get the Story:
CMC Commissioners Decide to Petition for Re-hearing on YST Reservation Status (The Wagner Announcer 10/7)

8th Circuit Decision:
Yankton Sioux Tribe v. Podhrasky (August 25, 2009)

Related Stories:
Yankton Sioux Tribe pleased with land decision (08/27)
Appeals court rules in Yankton Sioux land case (8/25)