Cliven Bundy (Photo: Shannon Bushman)

Mistrial declared in Bundy trial

Cliven Bundy (Photo: Shannon Bushman)

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – A federal judge declared a mistrial in the case of the widely-reported Bunkerville standoff case involving rancher Cliven Bundy.

According to the judge, the federal government withheld evidence that was favorable to Bundy and other defendants. However, the mistrial decision doesn’t mean the defendants aren’t guilty. A new trial was scheduled for early next year.

According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, U.S. District Judge Gloria Navarro said video surveillance and interviews were “willfully” withheld by the prosecution, amounting to a constitutional violation. The failure to disclose the evidence “undermined the confidence of the outcome of the trial,” Navarro ruled.

The charges arose from the 2014 standoff where Bundy disobeyed court orders to remove cattle from Bureau of Land Management lands after he failed to pay grazing fees. Bundy claimed his family has long-established rights to the public lands. The federal government tried to round up the cattle, resulting in an armed standoff between Bundy supporters and government officials.

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