The U.S. Supreme Court today declined to review the Cayuga land claim.

The Cayuga Nation of New York and the Seneca-Cayuga Tribe of Oklahoma claim 64,000 acres in New York was stolen from them. A federal judge awarded the tribes $247 million in damages.

The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals reversed. In a 2-1 decision, the judge said the tribes waited to long to file suit and said the "disruptive" nature of the claim was foreclosed by the Supreme Court's decision in Sherrill v. Oneida Nation, a land-into-trust case.

The tribes appealed but the justices declined to accept the case [Supreme Court Order List May 15, 2006].

Get the Story:
Cayuga land claim decision due today (The Syracuse Post-Standard 5/15)

Supreme Court Briefs:
Cayuga Indian Nation of New York v. Pataki

Cayuga Land Claim Decision:
Cayuga Nation v. New York (June 28, 2005)

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

Relevant Links:
NARF-NCAI Tribal Supreme Court Project - http://doc.narf.org/sc/index.html

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