"The Republican governor has sued the Department of the Interior after the National Park Service denied the state a permit to hold a fireworks display at the monument"
"SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — A federal judge will allow a tribe to join legal arguments opposing South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem's efforts to put on a July Fourth fireworks display at Mount Rushmore.
The Republican governor has sued the Department of the Interior after the National Park Service denied the state a permit to hold a fireworks display at the monument. The Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe had asked the judge to allow it to join the legal arguments, arguing it had a stake in the decision because the Black Hills, which include Mount Rushmore, are sacred for the tribe. It argued the fireworks event would violate the religious and first amendment rights of Native people.
Noem's lawyers had opposed the tribe's request in the U.S. District Court for South Dakota. But Chief Judge Roberto Lange, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama, ruled Thursday the tribe could intervene. Lange granted the tribe's request in part because the Park Service cited concerns from local Native American tribes for denying the state's application."
Stephen Groves reports for the Associated Press May 21, 2021.
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