The Oneida Nation of New York has agreed to pay property taxes and submit to local jurisdiction in order to end the Sherrill lawsuit.

The tribe will pay nearly $60,000 in back taxes and continue to pay future taxes. The tribe will abide by all city codes and allow city inspectors onto tribal property. Any building code disputes will be settled by litigation.

The agreement lasts five years. It will not apply to any land that might be taken into trust by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

In the Sherrill case, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the tribe couldn't "unilaterally" assert sovereignty over its ancestral territory without going through the land-into-trust process. The tribe has since asked the BIA to acquire about 17,000 acres in two counties.

Get the Story:
Oneida Nation to Pay Taxes (The Syracuse Post-Standard 10/6)

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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