"Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said this week he was "troubled" by the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling that only tribes formally recognized in 1934 could have land taken into trust for them by the Department of the Interior.

Since the 1934 Indian Reorganization Act, the interior department has added about eight million acres of land to the trust for various tribes, including some that were not federally recognized in 1934.

The decision likely won't affect tribes recognized after 1934 whose land is already in trust, as only Congress can take land out of trust. But it would likely affect future land acquisitions.

The court's ruling affects dozens of tribes, including some of the wealthiest in the country.

On Wednesday, Salazar told a legislative summit of the National Congress of Americans that he would continue the program while examining all options to resolve the land-into-trust issue.

Salazar's response to the high court's ruling is a breath of fresh at Interior, a department seen as unfriendly to tribal interests in recent years that was racked by allegations of corruption and drug use last fall."

Get the Story:
Kevin Abourezk: Salazar 'Troubled' by Court's Trust Ruling (RezNet News 3/5)

Related Stories:
Kevin Abourezk: LaDuke creates green economy (3/5)
Kevin Abourezk: An open letter to President Obama (2/27)
Kevin Abourezk: NCAI website tracks Indian stimulus (2/20)
Kevin Abourezk: Congress poised to act on IHCIA (2/12)
Kevin Abourezk: Tribes hit by Daschle withdrawal (2/6)
Kevin Abourezk: The Year of the Indian just starting (1/30)
Kevin Abourezk: Sisters protect Wyandotte cemetery (1/23)
Kevin Abourezk: Be inspired by Obama inauguration (1/16)
Kevin Abourezk: Indian Country asks Obama for $5.4B (1/9)
Kevin Abourezk: Looking back on a year in limbo (12/19)
Kevin Abourezk: A bailout for Indian Country (12/11)
Kevin Abourezk: Optimism on Indian health bill (12/5)
Kevin Abourezk: Frank LaMere celebrates in January (11/26)
Kevin Abourezk: Daschle's chance to prove it (11/21)
Kevin Abourezk: Stereotypes and Thanksgiving (11/14)
Kevin Abourezk: Ceremony honors tribal veterans (11/7)
Kevin Abourezk: Native voters flex power at the polls (11/4)
Kevin Abourezk: Means shifts sovereignty stance (10/30)