Officials in Fremont County, Wyoming, have hired a conservative legal group to fight a voting rights lawsuit filed by tribal members.

Mountain States Legal Foundation, a former employer of Interior Secretary Gale Norton, will represent the county. The group lost a Native voting rights lawsuit in Montana and has unsuccessfully challenged state and federal protections for sacred sites.

Five members of the Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone tribes are suing because the county's at-large system violates their rights, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. County Commission Chairman Doug Thompson said the county will fight with whatever resources it has.

"Some of these counties that have been attacked by the ACLU have just rolled over and agreed to a consent agreement," Thompson told The Casper Star-Tribune.

Get the Story:
Legal clash shapes up on race (The Casper Star-Tribune 11/30)

Relevant Links:
Mountain States Legal Foundation - http://www.mountainstateslegal.org

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