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Law
Tribes united in opposition to Supreme Court ruling


Five tribes with land claims in New York met on Wednesday to push for settlement of their cases and show opposition to the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in the Oneida Nation case.

The Cayuga Nation of New York, the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe of New York, the Seneca-Cayuga Tribe of Oklahoma, the Oneida Tribe of Wisconsin and the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians from Wisconsin issued a statement blasting the decision. "The Court's decision overturns fundamental bedrock principles of Indian law and unfairly subjects the Oneidas to bear the brunt of this decision," the statement read.

Meanwhile, officials in upstate New York continued to celebrate. They said the decision allows them to impose taxes on the Oneida Nation because the court ruled the tribe cannot "unilaterally" assert sovereignty over its 250,000-acre land claim area.

Get the Story:
Five land claim tribes meet (AP 3/31)
Court ruling widens options (The Utica Observer-Dispatch 3/31)
Oneida Nation's property tax bills could total millions (The Syracuse Post-Standard 3/31)
Law on the land (News 10 Now 3/31)
Dump Cayugas from offer, Nozzolio urges (The Finger Lake Times 3/31)
Sherrill wins in High Court (The Oneida Dispatch 3/30)
Sherrill v. Oneida Indian Nation timeline (The Oneida Dispatch 3/30)

Get the Decision:
Syllabus | Opinion [Ginsburg] | Concurrence [Souter] | Dissent [Stevens]

Relevant Links:
Oneida Nation - http://www.oneida-nation.net
NARF-NCAI Tribal Supreme Court Project - http://doc.narf.org/sc/index.html

Decision in Oneida Indian Nation v. City of Sherrill:
Majority Opinion | Van Graafeiland Dissent

Decision in Cayuga Indian Nation v. Village of Union Springs:
Decision | Order (April 23, 2004)

Related Stories:
Major defeat for Oneida Nation in Supreme Court case (3/30)
Pataki, city, foes pleased with Oneida Nation ruling (3/30)
Major defeat for Oneida Nation in Supreme Court case (3/29)
Oneida Nation ruling could impact land claims (01/13)
Passage of time at issue in Oneida Nation case (01/12)
Oneida Nation wants court to uphold promises (1/12)
Supreme Court rejects two Indian law cases (1/12)
Supreme Court to hear Oneida Nation land dispute (1/10)
New York municipalities pony up for court brief (12/14)
Hearing set for Oneida Nation treaty rights case (11/12)
Supreme Court takes action on Indian law cases (11/02)
Tribes file briefs in Oneida Nation land case (10/18)
Supreme Court Roundup: 2003-2004 Term (07/08)
Supreme Court to hear dispute over Oneida Nation land (06/29)
Oneida Nation sees support in Bush administration brief (06/08)
Appeal planned in Cayuga Nation land rights case (04/30)
Cayuga Nation land rights upheld by federal judge (4/26)
Cayuga Nation's plans for land worry some in village (04/07)
Report: Seneca-Cayuga Tribe has bigger plans in store (04/06)
NIGC accused of 'ducking' casino land issue in N.Y. (03/23)
Judge in N.Y. hears Seneca-Cayuga land dispute (03/12)
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Appeals expected in Seneca-Cayuga Tribe's land case (09/10)
Judge to decide fate of Seneca-Cayuga Tribe's land (9/9)
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Okla. tribe says court decision bolsters case (07/24)
Cayuga Nation welcomes Indian Country decision (07/23)
Oneida Nation wins treaty lands case (7/22)