Mistrial in Nevada standoff is latest defeat for prosecutors
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A U.S. judge in Nevada dealt another defeat Wednesday to federal prosecutors trying to punish leaders of armed standoffs meant to oppose federal authority over vast swaths of land in the American West.
Chief U.S. District Judge Gloria Navarro in Las Vegas declared a mistrial in the long-awaited case against states' rights figure Cliven Bundy, his sons Ryan and Ammon Bundy and self-styled Montana militia leader Ryan Payne.
Prosecutors were trying to prove the four broke the law in a tense armed confrontation between Bundy supporters and government agents who gave up efforts to confiscate Bundy cattle in 2014.
Navarro didn't dismiss the case outright, but said she might after a Jan. 8 hearing.