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The Week in Review
ending December 7
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WEEK IN REVIEW: Assistant Secretary Neal McCaleb File Photo © NSM.
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Want In The Hoop's list of the week's Winners and Losers? Wait no more.
Missed the week's stories? Get a complete listing
here.
Supreme Court reviews trust relationship
All eyes were on the Supreme Court this week as it heard
two cases affecting the federal government's
fiduciary responsibilities to Indian tribes.
At issue is whether tribes can sue for
breach of trust and whether the U.S. is
liable for breaching it.
The Navajo Nation cites a loss of
$600 million for a federally-approved leasing agreement
that was not in its best interest
while the White Mountain Apache Tribe of Arizona
claims the Bureau of Indian Affairs
let its trust property go to waste.
During two hours of questioning,
the justices appeared more favorable to
the one case than the other,
leading some Indian law experts to
predict a victory for the Apache
Tribe.
But whatever the final decision, expected by summer 2003,
it has the potential to affect
tribes throughout the country.
Get the Story:
Supreme Court takes on trust
(12/2)
A humane and self-imposed policy
(12/2)
U.S. promises at issue in trust
cases (12/2)
Court considers Navajo dispute
(12/3)
U.S. pressed on trust duties
(12/3)
Cobell trust claim not based on
damages (12/3)
Supreme Court weighs trust
relationship (12/3)
Editorial: Navajo Nation bilked of
millions (12/3)
Panel predicts Apache victory
(12/4)
Navajo council considers Peabody
pipeline (12/4)
Bush takes another stab at reorganization
A little over a year ago, the Bush administration
unveiled a plan to reform management of Indian
trust assets. Known as BITAM, it was
widely rejected in Indian Country.
After ten months of talks with tribal leaders,
which ultimately broke down over key issues,
the Department of Interior was back again this week
with an alternative that was much more
broad than that earlier proposal.
Although some of the changes at the
the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and the Office of
Special Trustee (OST) will affect trust
services, the reorganization was largely bureaucratic
and realigned a number of non-trust programs.
The proposal also doesn't address fractionation of
Indian lands, historical accounting of Indian funds and other
improvements.
Some reforms require legislative action
but tribal leaders and the department are still
in disagreement on how to proceed.
Get the Story:
McCaleb to announce BIA
reorganization (12/4)
The Contemptuous Judge Gale Norton
(12/4)
McCaleb announces reorganization
(12/5)
New proposal is BITAM plus more
(12/5)
McCaleb says credibility
'undermined' (12/5)
Changes proposed, again, at DOI
(12/5)
Trust records office shuffled again
(12/6)
McCaleb being deposed today on
e-mails (12/6)
BIA reorganization 'waste of money'
(12/6)
Norton doesn't want to leave DOI
(12/6)
more stories
There's still more to read in the recap
of the top stories.
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