Choctaw political activists lose lawsuit over arrest

(Denver, Colorado-AP) -- A federal appeals court has ruled against three Choctaw political activists who sued tribal authorities over their 1995 arrests.

Douglas Dry, Juanita McConnell and Rose Burton were arrested in at a Labor Day festival while passing out political literature prior to the inauguration of the tribe's chief.

The three sued, claiming tribal law enforcement authorities violated their rights to free speech, assembly and due process.

The appeals court in Denver upheld a lower court ruling that tribal authorities have sovereign immunity from being sued in federal court.

Then-chief Hollis Roberts had defeated Dry in an election for chief two months before the arrests.