Republican blames VAWA vote on tribal jurisdiction provisions

Thursday, February 14, 2013  

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said he would have voted for S.47, a bill to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, if it hadn't included tribal jurisdiction provisions.

Cornyn was one of 22 Republicans who voted against S.47 on Tuesday. In an earlier roll call, he voted in favor of removing the tribal jurisdiction provisions from the bill entirely.

“This is a very dangerous, slippery slope because if non-tribe members are tried in tribal courts, they are not protected by the United States Constitution and they have no right of appeal to the federal courts, Cornyn told members of the media in Texas, The Dallas Morning News reported.

When he served as attorney general of Texas, Cornyn went to court to force two tribes to shut down their gaming facilities.

Get the Story:
Sen. John Cornyn cites tribal provision in vote against anti-violence bill (The Dallas Morning News 2/13)

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