by Bill Miller
The Washington Post
A federal judge said yesterday he will launch contempt-of-court proceedings
Monday against Interior Secretary Gale A. Norton and a top aide for
allegedly misleading him about the state of a long-mismanaged trust fund
held for Native Americans.
U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth acted at the request of lawyers
representing Indians, who said Norton and others should be held accountable
for failing to reform the trust fund, which is maintained for about 300,000
Native Americans. Lamberth is presiding over a lawsuit filed five years ago
on behalf of the Indians.
A court-appointed monitor has accused Norton and other officials of failing
to comply with Lamberth’s orders to make changes. Lamberth said yesterday he
will hold civil contempt proceedings against Norton and Assistant Interior
Secretary Neal McCaleb. He said he might initiate proceedings against others
later.
In February 1999, Lamberth cited then-Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt,
then-Assistant Interior Secretary Kevin Gover and then-Treasury Secretary
Robert E. Rubin for contempt for failing to produce records in the lawsuit.
Norton recently announced plans to overhaul the trust system.
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