Native American Couple Seek Damages For Wrongful Peyote Enforcement

James "Flaming Eagle" Mooney, and has wife Linda, have been in a long battle with authorities over the use of peyote. They are leaders of the Oklevueha Earth Walks Native American Church of Utah. In February, federal charges against them were dropped under an agreement that they would refrain from possessing, buying, using or distributing peyote "until they become members of a federally recognized tribe or there is a definitive clarification of the law regarding the use of peyote by court ruling or legislative action." Now the Washington Post reports that the Mooneys have filed a federal law suit seeking damages from local, state and federal governments, claiming that past enforcement actions aimed at their peyote use violated their First Amendment rights.