United States Ninth Circuit

The United States Forest Service improperly denied plaintiffs-owners access to their patented mining claims within the Kootenai National Forest in Montana.

Appellate Information

• Argued 02/10/2005
• Decided 10/12/2005
• Published 10/12/2005

Judges

• O'SCANNLAIN, Circuit Judge:, Before: McKAY , O'SCANNLAIN, and BEA, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Ninth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Ward A. Shanahan, Gough, Shanahan, Johnson and Waterman, Helena, MT, argued the cause for the appellants and was on the briefs.


• For Appellees:
  
• Katherine W. Hazard, Washington, D.C., argued the cause for the appellees.  Thomas L. Sansonetti, Assistant Attorney General, Ruth Ann Storey, and John Smeltzer, United States Department of Justice, Washington, D.C., and Alan Campbell and James Snow, United States Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C., were on the brief.