Judge denies Ute Tribe’s bid for Utah land ownership

A federal judge ruled against the Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation in its effort to reclaim federally managed land in Utah. The tribe argued that an 1880 law entitled it to ownership, but the court sided with the U.S. government, stating the tribe had ceded its land earlier. The ruling reinforces federal control over the disputed area, impacting the tribe’s claims to ancestral lands.