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Wednesday, November 19, 2003

"The Constitution gives Congress the power to regulate commerce with Indians and the president the right to make treaties with tribes. Chief Justice John Marshall in 1831 declared Indian tribes "domestic, dependent nations." Legislation in 1871 terminated treaty-making with the tribes, stating, "no Indian nation or tribe shall be acknowledged or recognized as an independent nation, tribe, or power."

A 1973 federal court decision declared, "An Indian tribe is sovereign to the extent that the United States permits it to be sovereign ---- neither more nor less."

Today the relationship between the federal government and Indian tribes is a hodgepodge of laws and regulations creating autonomy for Indians in many areas."

Get the Story:
Dave Colwell: Indian gambling must be reformed (The North County Times 11/19)

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