LAS VEGAS (AP) — A lawyer for Nevada rancher and states' rights activist Cliven Bundy is hailing as "the final nail in the coffin" a judge's decision not to let federal prosecutors reopen the criminal case stemming from a 2014 armed standoff with government agents.
Attorney Bret Whipple on Friday characterized the 72-year-old Bundy as relieved following Chief U.S. District Judge Gloria Navarro's ruling this week that "flagrant misconduct" by prosecutors had irreparably tainted the case.
A spokeswoman for Acting U.S. Attorney Dayle Elieson (el-AYE'-eh-sun) declined immediate comment.
Prosecutors could appeal to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.
Navarro in January dismissed the criminal case against Bundy, two sons and a Montana militia leader after declaring a mistrial in December.
She found federal prosecutors responsible for "deliberate attempts to mislead and distort the truth."
