Ruling leaves original Mille Lacs reservation intact

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Leaders of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe say a ruling by a federal judge on its reservation boundaries is a "historic milestone" for the tribe.

The ruling by Judge Susan Richard Nelson determined the band’s original reservation boundaries set forth in a treaty decades ago remain intact.

The band has been involved in a long-running legal dispute with Mille Lacs County, which has argued that the reservation no longer exists because it was dissolved by later treaties and congressional actions.

The dispute arose when the Mille Lacs Band sued the county over policing. The underlying lawsuit still needs to be decided, but tribal leaders see the judge’s opinion on the reservation boundaries as a big win.