The city of Oneida, New York, has started the process to take title to 42 properties owned by the Oneida Nation.

The city says the tribe owes more than $900,000 for failing to pay property taxes on the land. A legal notice was published in the local newspaper to start the title-taking process.

The tribe has asked the Bureau of Indian Affairs to acquire 17,000 in trust in two counties. Local officials are opposing the request.

In March, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the tribe's properties can't be considered Indian Country because they fell out of tribal possession more than a century ago. By an 8-1 vote, the justices said the tribe can't "unilaterally" reassert its sovereignty -- and all the attributes that go along with it -- without going through the land-into-trust process.

Get the Story:
Oneida city targets nation's parcels (The Syracuse Post-Standard 9/28)

Relevant Links:
Oneida Nation, New York - http://www.oneida-nation.net

Oneida Nation Decision:
Syllabus | Opinion [Ginsburg] | Concurrence [Souter] | Dissent [Stevens]

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