Edna Emerson Littlewolf v. Manuel Lujan, Jr., Secretary of the Interior

Opinion for the court filed by Circuit Judge BUCKLEY.

BUCKLEY, Circuit Judge:

Appellants, members of the White Earth Band of the Chippewa Tribe, seek review of the district court’s decision upholding the constitutionality of the White Earth Reservation Land Settlement Act of 1985. The Act extinguishes the Indians’ claims to land illegally transferred earlier in this century, in return for payment of compensation based on the fair market value at the time of transfer plus five percent interest. The Act gives claimants the option of filing an action for judicially determined compensation within…