Three towns in Connecticut that have fought tribes on a number of issues are opposing a bill to fix the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Carcieri v. Salazar.

Ledyard, North Stonington and Preston asked Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Connecticut) and Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Connecticut) to oppose S.1703. The bill ensures all tribes, regardless of the date of their federal recognition, can follow the land-into-trust process.

“For (Congress) to reverse the Supreme Court would be totally irresponsible,” North Stonington First Selectman Nicholas Mullane II told The New London Day “It's a major concern.”

The state of Connecticut tried to block the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, which gained recognition in 1983, from acquiring new trust lands by making arguments similar to those in the Carcieri case. The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the state and the Supreme Court declined to hear the case.

Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-North Dakota), the chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, introduced the bill on September 24. At the National Congress of American Indians annual convention in Palm Springs, California, Allison Binney, the majority staff director for the committee, said Dorgan will oppose efforts to exclude individual tribes or groups of tribes from the bill.

Get the Story:
Towns join fight against legislation to aid tribes (The New London Day 10/14)

Relevant Documents:
Carcieri Fix Bill | Floor Statement

Supreme Court Decision:
Syllabus | Opinion [Thomas] | Concurrence [Breyer] | Dissent [Stevens] | Concurrence/Dissent [Souter]

Supreme Court Documents:
Oral Argument Transcript | Briefs

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