Bundy brothers refuse to enter federal courtroom for hearing

Ryan and Ammon Bundy refused to enter a federal courtroom Friday for a hearing in the armed standoff case near Bunkerville.

The two brothers, who are among 17 defendants in the case, are the sons of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, the central figure in the standoff that unfolded in April 2014 between Bundy’s supporters and federal agents who had rounded up his cows from public lands.

Clad in orange jumpsuits, several defendants in the federal courtroom yelled out as the three-hour hearing ended: “Resistance to tyranny is obedience to God.”

U.S. Magistrate Judge Peggy Leen told federal marshals she didn’t want the Bundy brothers put in the courtroom by force and ordered them to be kept in an area with access to audio of the proceedings. Ammon Bundy’s attorney, Daniel Hill, walked with federal marshals to the holding area, returned and told the judge the Bundys believe that while they’re in custody, it’s the job of the marshals to get them into the courtroom.

The hearing, held Friday at the Lloyd George U.S. Courthouse, was for a variety of motions, primarily how to divide defendants for trial and how many trials to hold.

The judge didn’t issue a decision at the hearing but said it would be “logistically impossible” to have one trial for all the defendants.

Prosecutors are pushing for a tiered system of three trials, grouping the defendants based on their alleged level of involvement in the standoff. That means trials would start in February, May and August.

Defendants have a variety of alternatives, both in the order they would be tried and how many trials to have.

Cliven Bundy, for example, has pushed for one trial for all 17 defendants or the alternative of a separate trial for himself after all the others are tried first.

Bundy attorney Bret Whipple said in court that his client wants defendants to be able to return to their families quickly.

The defendants, who are in federal custody, face federal charges that include conspiracy to assault federal agents and stem from the events of April 12, 2014, several miles from the Bundy ranch near Bunkerville.

Prosecutors allege that the armed assault unfolded as the Bundys and their followers moved to take back Bundy cattle that had been impounded by Bureau of Land Management agents.

The impoundment happened after the BLM had obtained court orders to seize the cattle because no grazing fees had been paid to use public lands on which the cows roamed. Hundreds flocked to Bundy’s ranch in the days leading up to the standoff to show their support for the rancher, many from beyond Nevada.

Since then, the standoff has become a rallying cry for Bundy supporters who say federal overreach runs rampant, while critics of the rancher say the standoff didn’t respect the rule of law.

Dozens of family members and friends crowded into the courtroom to observe the proceedings.

“My dad is an all-American cowboy who loves his country and loves God,” said St. George, Utah, resident Molly Stuart, 34, one of Cliven Bundy’s 14 children.

Ammon and Ryan Bundy were acquitted in October by a Portland, Oregon, jury after being tried for a 41-day armed takeover of a federal wildlife refuge in that state.

Contact Ben Botkin at bbotkin@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-8710. Follow @BenBotkin1 on Twitter.