Lawyers for Ammon Bundy revealed plans to contest the authority of the federal government to prosecute their client for the takeover of a national wildlife refuge in Oregon.
Attorney Lissa Casey says in court papers that a forthcoming motion to dismiss the case will challenge the federal government's assertion that it has ownership of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.
Moreover, she said, the defendant intends to argue the government largely lost the right to own land inside Oregon once statehood was achieved.
The U.S. Supreme Court, however, has twice ruled that the government owns the land in question, presenting an uphill climb for the attorneys.
