Officials in Rhode Island were optimistic after the U.S. Supreme Court heard Carcieri v. Kempthorne on Monday.

The state wants the justices to limit the land-into-trust provisions of the Indian Reorganization Act to tribes that were recognized when the law was passed in 1934. That means the Narragansett Tribe won't benefit because the tribe wasn't recognized until 1983.

Theodore B. Olson, a former Bush administration attorney, argued for the state. He focused on the use of the word "now" in the IRA and said it meant tribes that were recognized in 1934.

Get the Story:
Indian land case goes before Supreme Court (The Providence Journal 11/4)
After Supreme Court Scuffle, Ted Olson Earns His Keep (The Legal Times 11/4)
Supreme Court Hears Tribal Land Case (AP 11/3)

Supreme Court Documents:
Oral Argument Transcript | Docket Sheet | Questions Presented | Order List

1st Circuit Decisions:
En Banc (July 20, 2007) | Panel (February 9, 2005)

Briefs and Other Documents:
Carcieri v. Kempthorne (NARF-NCAI Tribal Supreme Court Project

Relevant Laws:
Rhode Island Indian Claims Settlement Act (US Code)

Related Stories:
Supreme Court to hear land-into-trust case (11/3)
Still no agreement on land-into-trust hearing (10/31)
Rhode Island governor angry over hearing impasse (10/30)
SCOTUSBlog: Jockeying for land-into-trust hearing (10/30)
Fight over land-into-trust hearing continues (10/28)
'Childish' fight over land-into-trust arguments (10/24)
Town backs lawyer to argue land-into-trust case (10/17)
Column: Land-into-trust case an important one (10/15)
Town weighs land eyed by Narragansett Tribe (10/15)
Prosecutors seek alibis in Aquash murder case (10/15)
Land-into-trust argument fight gets even more nasty (10/9)
Attorneys at 'impasse' for land-into-trust arguments (10/8)
U.S. Supreme Court adds Indian law cases to docket (10/7)
Arguments still not settled in land-into-trust case (10/7)
Narragansett Tribe won't argue at Supreme Court (10/6)
SCOTUSBlog: Narragansett land-into-trust case (9/17)
Former Bush lawyer paid $200K for land-into-trust case (9/12)
State argues over arguments in land-into-trust case (9/8)
Former Bush lawyer to argue land-into-trust case (6/6)
Court takes land-into-trust case (2/26)
U.S. Supreme Court accepts land-into-trust case (2/25)
High court weighs Narragansett land-into-trust (2/22)
Groups file brief in pending land-into-trust case (02/06)
Supreme Court brief backs land-into-trust (1/29)