Lawyers for the US government have once again asked a federal court to dismiss the CNMI's lawsuit against federalization, saying the Commonwealth has changed its argument from one of economic harm to a breach of self-governance.
Lawyers for the federal government filed the motion to dismiss before the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Friday.
The CNMI first filed the lawsuit in September and the U.S. government filed a motion to dismiss in December.
The Saipan Tribune reports the CNMI then filed their opposition to the motion earlier this month, with the federal government now giving their final reply.
In the motion to dismiss, the lawyers stated that the Commonwealth's initial argument for the lawsuit was economical, but now it is saying that provisions of the Consolidated Natural Resources Act harms their right to self-governance.
