The judges are not expected to rule for months. In September, they ordered the group of firms building the pipeline, led by Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners, to pause construction on the disputed section of the route while they consider the tribes' request that the US government withdraw permits for the project.
Opponents of the 1100 mile (1770 km), $3.7-billion pipeline celebrated in September when legal challenges and violent clashes between protesters and security guards prompted the administration of President Barack Obama to ask the company to stop work on the disputed land while the government revisited its previous decisions about the project.
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