A Navajo presidential candidate is back in court Thursday to find out whether he can continue on the campaign trail.
Richie Nez of the tribe's Office of Hearings and Appeals is expected to rule in a case challenging Chris Deschene's ability to speak Navajo.
Tribal law requires that presidential hopefuls speak fluent Navajo and understand the language said to have been handed down by deities.
Deschene has made learning Navajo a focus of his campaign. But his critics want him disqualified, saying he lied when he attested to speaking the language fluently.
Deschene submitted to a deposition in Navajo earlier this week but declined to take a fluency test designed by the tribe's education department.
The hearing comes less than a month before the Nov. 4 general election.
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