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MONDAY, MAY 6, 2002

The federal judge overseeing the individual Indian trust fund on Friday extended a temporary restraining order preventing the Department of Interior from moving 32,000 boxes of records.

U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth renewed the halt for another 10 days in response to a request by attorneys representing 300,000 Indian beneficiaries. They sought assurances in light of a critical court report which found no proper justification for the planned transfer.

The Department of Interior, in its response to special master Alan Balaran, said his findings were largely beyond dispute. However, the department objected to further court oversight.

Lamberth's order requires notification of any transfers of trust fund records. It also requires the Interior to ensure any documents currently stored in federal repositories are not destroyed.

Related Documents:
Order (5/3) | Request for Preliminary Injunction (5/2)

Relevant Links:
Indian Trust, Department of Interior - http://www.doi.gov/indiantrust
Indian Trust: Cobell v. Norton - http://www.indiantrust.com
Trust Reform, NCAI - http://130.94.214.68/main/pages/
issues/other_issues/trust_reform.asp

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