Sunday's LATimes tells the story of Winslow Friday, a Native American facing charges of killing a bald eagle. Friday has finally run out of options for his religious liberty defense – arguing that the ban prohibits him from participating in religious ceremonies requiring an eagle feather.
"Some agreed with what he did, some didn't," said tribal spokesman Donovan Antelope. "But they all agree with the reason he did it — for the Sun Dance. We know he wasn't doing it just to kill an eagle."
Now, though, Friday is giving up. Having exhausted his legal options, he's hoping for a plea agreement that will avoid a trial. "The attorneys say that [a trial] would be a losing battle," said Friday, 25, a former oil-field worker studying to be a civil engineer.
A federal judge initially agreed with Friday, but the government won on appeal, claiming that procedures in place – including a repository of deceased birds available for tribes to use – offer reasonable alternatives. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case.
