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Letter: Overturn Supreme Court on land-into-trust
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Filed Under: Law | Opinion

"I am writing about a Supreme Court ruling which is just one more case of the United States courts hurting Native Americans.

At the heart of the case is the federal government’s authority to hold land in trust for Native American tribes

The dispute started in 1991 when the Narragansettes purchased land for economic development and wanted to build an elderly housing complex. State officials feared the tribe would make them lose some tax money and might build a casino. The state said the tribe could not remove land from state control using the Indian Reorganization Act because the tribe was not recognized by the U.S. government until after the 1934 act.

After a court battle, the Supreme Court came back with a ruling that supported the state’s side. This ruling limits the federal government’s authority to hold land in trust for Indian tribes. It’s clear that Congress in 1934 passed the law to set a new standard for future dealings with all tribes, regardless of when they were recognized."

Get the Story:
Chris Campbell: Another case of the U.S. hurting Native Americans (The Ottumwa Courier 3/24)

Supreme Court Decision:
Syllabus | Opinion [Thomas] | Concurrence [Breyer] | Dissent [Stevens] | Concurrence/Dissent [Souter]

Supreme Court Documents:
Oral Argument Transcript | Briefs

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