A federal appeals court in Manhattan has rejected claims by Onondaga Nation that it is entitled to land stretching through Syracuse and down the middle of New York state. Details from WAMC's Dave Lucas
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a written order Friday.
It said a lower court judge did not abuse his authority when he tossed out the lawsuit in 2010 even before evidence could be developed to support the Nation's claims.
Federal Judge Lawrence Kahn in Albany had ruled that the Nation's claims to land stretching from Canada to the Pennsylvania border would disrupt areas developed by generations of landowners.
The Nation says it has strongly and persistently protested development of its ancestral lands for 183 years.
Syracuse attorney Joseph Heath, who represents the Nation, says he's "very disappointed."
© 2012 Associated Press
