UPDATE: Court Denies Government’s Request to Amend Case to Reclaim Mask of Ka-Nefer-Nefer from St. Louis Art Museum

Fresh on the heels of our coverage here and here and in the Atlantic, the U.S. District Court in St. Louis has rejected the U.S. government’s efforts to save its case to reclaim the Mask of Ka-Nefer-Nefer. 

After the case was dismissed in April, the government asked the court for permission to amend the complaint to add facts that it said would, if true, establish that the Mask had been stolen before it was imported into the U.S. (and thus would violate U.S. customs laws). 

In a brief order, the court ruled today that the motion presented no new evidence or arguments, and that the court declined to revisit its decision.  The government may appeal, if it wishes, but for now it’s a clean win for the museum.