Indianz.Com > News > Rhode Island optimistic on land-into-trust case

Rhode Island optimistic on land-into-trust case
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Filed Under: Law | Trust

Officials in Rhode Island were optimistic after the U.S. Supreme Court heard Carcieri v. Kempthorne on Monday.

The state wants the justices to limit the land-into-trust provisions of the Indian Reorganization Act to tribes that were recognized when the law was passed in 1934. That means the Narragansett Tribe won't benefit because the tribe wasn't recognized until 1983.

Theodore B. Olson, a former Bush administration attorney, argued for the state. He focused on the use of the word "now" in the IRA and said it meant tribes that were recognized in 1934.

Get the Story:
Indian land case goes before Supreme Court (The Providence Journal 11/4)
After Supreme Court Scuffle, Ted Olson Earns His Keep (The Legal Times 11/4)
Supreme Court Hears Tribal Land Case (AP 11/3)

Supreme Court Documents:
Oral Argument Transcript | Docket Sheet | Questions Presented | Order List

1st Circuit Decisions:
En Banc (July 20, 2007) | Panel (February 9, 2005)

Briefs and Other Documents:
Carcieri v. Kempthorne (NARF-NCAI Tribal Supreme Court Project

Relevant Laws:
Rhode Island Indian Claims Settlement Act (US Code)