Law

Supreme Court rejects Maine sovereignty cases

The U.S. Supreme Court today rejected appeals in two Maine tribal sovereignty cases.

The Aroostook Band of Micmac Indians and the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians lost a major ruling before the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals. The tribes are subject to state employment laws, the court said, due to their land claim settlement acts

The tribes asked the high court to overturn the ruling. Without comment, the justices denied the petitions.

Relevant Documents:
Order List (November 26, 2007)

1st Circuit Decision:
Aroostook Band v. Ryan (April 17, 2007)

Earlier Decisions:
Aroostook Band v. Ryan (December 5, 2005) | Aroostook Band v. Maine (April 13, 2005)

Relevant Links:
NARF-NCAI Tribal Supreme Court Project - http://www.narf.org/sct/index.html
Maine Indian Tribal-State Commission - http://www.mitsc.org

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