BILLINGS – A ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in an ownership dispute of an abandoned railroad right of way near Noxon, Montana, held that the United States retained ownership under the National Trails System Improvement Act, Acting U.S. Attorney Leif M. Johnson said today.

In an opinion issued on June 21, the Ninth Circuit ruled for the United States on a plaintiff’s appeal from the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana in a case before U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen.

"This is an important decision for people who live in and visit Montana. The public has a gr...