Supreme Court won't accept Yankton Sioux diminishment case

Tuesday, June 21, 2011  

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined a petition in South Dakota v. Yankton Sioux Tribe, a reservation diminishment case

The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the reservation consist of land held in trust for the Yankton Sioux Tribe and for individual Indians. The state of South Dakota asked the high court to overturn the decision but the justices declined the case in an order list yesterday.

An 1858 treaty reserved 430,400 acres for the tribe. In an earlier case, The Supreme Court ruled that the tribe ceded about half of the reservation, cutting it down to about 262,300 acres.

The reservation is now about 37,600 acres, according to the recent 8th Circuit ruling.

Get the Story:
Charles Mix Moves On After High Court Decision (The Yankton Press & Dakotan 6/21)
High court won't look at dispute over Sioux land (AP 6/21)

8th Circuit Decision:
Yankton Sioux Tribe v. Podhrasky (August 25, 2009)

Related Stories:
Supreme Court to weigh petitions in four Indian law cases (6/10)
County seeks rehearing over Yankton land (10/7)
Yankton Sioux Tribe pleased with land decision (08/27)
Appeals court rules in Yankton Sioux land case (8/25)