"Elouise Cobell did not live to experience the triumphant moment for her long campaign for justice, but the checks are going into the mail.

Cobell, a member of the Blackfeet Nation from Montana, filed a class-action lawsuit in 1996 to challenge the U.S. government’s handling of Indian trust accounts. Her tenacious spirit sustained the fight for almost two decades. A settlement was reached with the departments of Interior and Treasury and individual plaintiffs in 2009.

Another three years of appeals up to the U.S. Supreme Court lasted until Nov. 23, when deadlines expired for asking the highest court to reconsider earlier decisions.

Cobell died in October 2011, with the end of her struggle on behalf of nearly 500,000 Native American claimants in sight. Tax-free checks for $1,000 will be in the hands of 350,000 beneficiaries by the end of the year."

Get the Story:
Editorial: A crusader’s moment of justice (The Seattle Times 12/2)

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