Opening statements began Thursday in the trial of North Dakota’s lawsuit against the federal government for the costs of responding to the Dakota Access Pipeline protests, the culmination of an unusual and drawn-out court fight.

The state filed the lawsuit in 2019, seeking $38 million from the federal government for policing the protests. The bench trial before U.S. District Court Judge Daniel Traynor is expected to last 12 to 13 days.

In an interview, North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley said the trial will show examples of numerous requests to the federal government for help and the “complete refusal” to offer resources and financial support in response.

“It ought not be one of the options of the federal government to just throw up its hands and tell states ‘You’re on your own’ in an instance like this where the illegalities are what they are,” Wrigley said.