The corps took custody of the skeleton after it was found in 1996 along the Columbia River in Kennewick, citing the federal Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.
Northwest tribes consider the skeleton an ancestor and want the remains reburied.
But eight prominent scientists sued for the opportunity to study the archaeologically valuable remains. A small Nordic religious group also is suing for the right to study and rebury the remains as their ancestor. Initial analysis of the skull indicated Caucasoid features different from those of current Indians in the region. In June, U.S. Magistrate John Jelderks ruled that the corps acted prematurely in deciding to turn the bones over to the tribes, voided the corps' decision and ordered the federal agency to reassess the case. Linda Kirts, legal counsel for the corps' Walla Walla District, said her agency has made no decision on whether scientific study should be conducted.