An appeals court has removed the federal trial judge from a decade-old Indian trust funds lawsuit. The Indian plaintiffs say the government has lost untold amounts of money while managing land and resources in trust for Indians.

The complex history of the trust funds spans more than a century, and the lawsuit involves claims of poor recordkeeping and contempt of court by government officials. The appeals court ruled that the trial judge, Royce Lamberth, had overstepped his authority in punitive rulings against the Interior Department.

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