Federal appeals court rebuffs tribe

Kent (AP) - The Schaghticoke Tribal Nation has been rebuffed in another attempt to win federal recognition.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals is upholding a New Haven federal judge's ruling last year denying recognition to the tribe.

The appeals decision was released Monday. It says the tribe failed to prove its allegations that members of Connecticut's congressional delegation used improper political influence to derail the tribe's efforts.

The tribe, which has a reservation in Kent, appeared to win recognition in January 2004 from the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs. State and federal officials successfully appealed, arguing the tribe hadn't proven social and political continuity.