United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ______________________
SHELDON PETERS WOLFCHILD, ERNIE PETERS LONGWALKER, SCOTT ADOLPHSON, MORRIS J. PENDLETON, BARBARA FEEZOR BUTTES, WINIFRED ST. PIERRE FEEZOR, AUTUMN WEAVER, ARIES BLUESTONE WEAVER, ELIJAH BLUESTONE WEAVER, RUBY MINKEL, LAVONNE A. SWENSON, WILLIS SWENSON, AARON SWENSON, BEVERLY M. SCOTT, LILLIAN WILSON, MONIQUE WILSON, SANDRA COLUMBUS GESHICK, CHERYL K. LORUSSO, JENNIFER K. LORUSSO, CASSANDRA SHEVCHUK, JASON SHEVCHUK, JAMES PAUL WILSON, EVA GRACE WILSON, BENITA M. JOHNSON, AND KEVIN LORUSSO, Plaintiffs-Cross Appellants,
AND
ANITA D. WHIPPLE et al., Descendants of Lucy Trudell, BONNIE RAE LOWE, et al., Descendants of Joseph Graham, et al., LENOR ANN SCHEFFLER BLAESER et al., Descendants of John Moose, AND MARY BETH LAFFERTY, et al., Plaintiffs,
AND
COURSOLLE DESCENDANTS AND ROCQUE AND TAYLOR DESCENDANTS, Plaintiffs, 2 WOLFCHILD v. US
AND
DEBORAH L. SAUL, LAURA VASSAR, et al., LYDIA FERRIS et al., DANIEL M TRUDELL, et al., ROBERT LEE TAYLOR, et al., AND DAWN HENRY, Plaintiffs,
AND
RAYMOND CERMAK, SR., (acting individually and under a power of attorney for Stanley F. Cermak, Sr.), MICHAEL STEPHENS, et al., JESSE CERMAK, et al., DENISE HENDERSON, DELORES KLINGBERG, SALLY ELLA ALKIRE, PIERRE ARNOLD, JR., AND GETRUDE GODOY et al., Plaintiffs,
AND
JOHN DOES 1-30, WINONA C. THOMAS ENYARD, AND KITTO, et al., Plaintiffs,
AND
FRANCINE GARREAU, et al., Plaintiffs,
AND
FRANCIS ELAINE FELIX, Plaintiff,
AND
KE ZEPHIER, et al., Plaintiffs, WOLFCHILD v. US 3
AND
LOWER SIOUX INDIAN COMMUNITY, Plaintiff,
AND
PHILIP W. MORGAN, Plaintiff,
AND
REBECCA ELIZABETH FELIX, Plaintiff,
AND
VERA A. ROONEY, et al., Plaintiffs,
AND
DANNY LEE MOZAK, Plaintiff-Cross Appellant,
AND
DAWN BURLEY, et al. Plaintiffs-Cross Appellants,
AND
HARLEY ZEPHIER, SR., Plaintiff-Cross Appellant,
AND 4 WOLFCHILD v. US
JOHN DOES 1-433, Plaintiffs-Cross Appellants,
AND
JULIA DUMARCE, et al., Plaintiffs-Cross Appellants,
AND
RAYMOND COURNOYER, SR., et al., JERRY ROBINETTE, et al., SANDRA KIMBELL, et al., CHARLENE WANNA, et al., AND LESLIE LEE FRENCH, et al., Plaintiffs-Cross Appellants,
AND
KRISTINE ABRAHAMSON, Plaintiff-Cross-Appellant,
AND
VICTORIA ROBERTSON VADNAIS, Plaintiff-Cross Appellant,
v.
UNITED STATES, Defendant-Appellant. ______________________
2012-5035, -5036, -5043 ______________________ WOLFCHILD v. US 5 Appeals from the United States Court of Federal Claims in case Nos. 03-CV-2684 and 01-CV-0568, Judge Charles F. Lettow. ______________________
Decided: September 27, 2013 ______________________
ERICK G. KAARDAL, Mohrman & Kaardal, P.A., of Minneapolis, Minnesota, argued for plaintiffs-cross appel- lants, Sheldon Peters Wolfchild, et al.
GARY J. MONTANA, Montana & Associates, of Osseo, Wisconsin, argued for plaintiffs-cross appellants, Julia Dumarce Group, et al. and ROBIN L. ZEPHIER, Abourezek & Zephier, of Rapid City, South Dakota, argued for Plain- tiff-Cross Appellant, Harley Zephier, Sr. With them on the brief was R. DERYL EDWARDS, JR., Attorney at Law, of Joplin, Missouri.
JOHN L. SMELTZER, Attorney, Environment and Natu- ral Resources Division, United States Department of Justice, of Washington, DC, argued for defendant- appellant. With him on the brief were IGNACIA S. MORENO, Assistant Attorney General, AARON AVILA and JODY SCHWARZ, Attorneys.
PHILIP BAKER-SHENK, Holland & Knight, LLP, of Washington, DC, for amici curiae. ______________________ 6 WOLFCHILD v. US Before RADER, Chief Judge, REYNA,