Ammon Bundy, 3 co-defendants appeal to remain in Oregon

PORTLAND – Ammon Bundy, Ryan Bundy and two co-defendants charged in the occupation of a national wildlife refuge in Oregon have appealed an order that requires them to be flown to Nevada next month to face charges in a federal case there.

Assistant federal public defender Rich Federico filed notice Monday that the four men are appealing to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. It’s unclear when the appellate court will take up the matter. The men are being held pending trial in a Portland jail.

The Bundys along with Ryan Payne and Brian Cavalier were among the more than two dozen people arrested in the 41-day standoff in eastern Oregon that concluded Feb. 11. They also face charges stemming from a 2014 standoff at Cliven Bundy’s ranch near Bunkerville, Nevada.

Last week, a federal judge in Portland ordered the defendants to be flown to Las Vegas on April 13 and returned to Oregon no later than April 25. During that window, they would make their first court appearances in the Bunkerville case.

At a hearing last week, defense attorneys and Ryan Bundy, who’s representing himself, said the clock shouldn’t start on the Nevada case until the Oregon one is over.

Having the men shuttle between the states while preparing for two cases with two different attorneys would be a logistical nightmare, and jeopardize their right to effective counsel, the lawyers and Ryan Bundy contended.

U.S. District Court Judge Anna Brown said their concerns were premature, and allowed the flight for the initial court appearance.

An Oregon trial date is expected to be set next month. Brown has indicated it will likely be scheduled for late summer or early fall. The Nevada case would be tried sometime after that.