PASCAGOULA, Miss. (AP) – A group of hundreds of Choctaw descendants, most of them living in the Vancleave area, made a great leap toward federal help when the Chancery Court in Jackson County recognized them as an official Native American tribe.

Chancery Judge D. Neil Harris made the ruling Wednesday after two factions within the group healed their differences and agreed on a constitution and bylaws for the Vancleave Live Oak Choctaw tribe.

The Sun Herald reports the court directed Dustin Thomas, attorney for a portion of the descendants, to file an application and documents with the Interior Department for federal recognition of the tribe.

Thomas said the biggest benefit to federal recognition may be health care.

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Information from: The Sun Herald, http://www.sunherald.com