CHEYENNE, Wyo. -- A federal appeals court in Denver said that a member of the Northern Arapaho Tribe who killed a bald eagle for use in his tribe's Sun Dance must stand trial.

The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday reversed an earlier decision by U.S. District Judge William Downes of Wyoming.

In 2006, Downes had dismissed criminal charges against Northern Arapaho Tribal member Winslow Friday. The judge said the federal government does no more than pay lip service to the religious needs of American Indians.

Friday and tribal officials have argued that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service commonly refuses to grant permits to Indians to kill eagles for religious ceremonies, even though federal regulations say the permits should be available.