A federal appeals court in San Francisco has rejected a lawsuit by members of a California Native American tribe who were temporarily banned from tribal land.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Tuesday the federal Indian Civil Rights Act does not give U.S. courts the authority to review such decisions.
The ruling came in a lawsuit by members of the United Auburn Indian Community who were excluded from tribal lands by the tribe's Council. The tribe owns the Thunder Valley Casino Resort outside Sacramento.
The members argued that their exclusion amounted to detention under the Indian Civil Rights Act and was therefore reviewable by a federal court.
The 9th Circuit in a 2-1 decision rejected that argument.
Andrew Stroud, an attorney for the tribal members, says he's heartbroken for his clients.
