Appeal filed in Northern Arapaho eagle case

Wednesday, March 28, 2007  

The Department of Justice is trying to reinstate charges against a Northern Arapaho man who killed an eagle for use in the Sun Dance.

In a brief to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, government attorneys say Winslow Friday violated federal law by shooting the eagle without a permit. They want the court to overturn a judge who dismissed the charges against Friday.

Judge William Downes had criticized the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for failing to issue permits to tribal members and for moving slow on requests for eagle feathers and parts. "It is clear to this court that the government has no intention of accommodating the religious beliefs of Native Americans except on its own terms and in its own good time," he wrote last October.

The Northern Arapaho Tribe, based on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming, is seeking to file a brief in the case. The tribe backed Arapaho in the lower court.

Get the Story:
Feds aim to revive eagle charges (AP 3/28)

Court Decision:
US v. Friday (October 16, 2006)

Relevant Links:
National Eagle Repository - http://www.r6.fws.gov/law/le65.html

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