Opponents of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe’s long-fought battle to establish a reservation and casino resort near La Center filed an appeal Tuesday after a U.S. District Court judge dismissed their lawsuit last year.

In December, U.S. District Judge Barbara J. Rothstein in Washington, D.C., released a 57-page opinion rejecting the plaintiff’s case against the Department of Interior’s decision to secure 152 acres of land west of La Center for the tribe. The plaintiffs include the city of Vancouver, Michels Development, which runs La Center’s cardrooms, and the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde, operators of the Spirit Mountain Casino in Oregon.

With Rothstein’s decision, Cowlitz tribal leaders expected to be able to take the land into trust this winter. But the plaintiffs’ latest challenge sets back any resolution for at least several more months.

The appeal will go before a panel of three federal judges later this year, said Brent Boger, an assistant attorney for the city of Vancouver. Boger said he expects oral arguments to be scheduled for a date in the fall, likely in November.

A decision could come before the end of 2015 or early next year, Boger said. Depending on how the judges rule, one side or the other is likely to further appeal the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, he said.